Reindeer on Herøy probably died of copper poisoning, according to the veterinary institute – news Nordland

It was at the end of March that reindeer owners reported abnormal behavior in the domestic reindeer herd of around 400 animals. At the end of April, over 100 reindeer were either dead or euthanized, without anyone having an answer as to what had happened. Now the reindeer health service at the Veterinary Institute believes it has found out that the deaths are due to copper poisoning. The source of the poisoning is currently unknown. They write that in a press release on Tuesday. – Gradually, copper has emerged as the most likely as findings from autopsy and blood tests have been relatively coincident and compatible with copper poisoning, writes the Veterinary Institute. Variations in the copper findings High levels of copper have been detected in the liver and kidney of several animals, although the findings have varied from animal to animal. – Normal levels in animals can vary widely and absorption of copper that can be measured in tissues must be seen in connection with other minerals that affect copper absorption. – In ruminants, copper can bind to other minerals and be excreted, but still damage the digestive system and cause disease. This may be one of the explanations for variations in this case. Other factors may also have played a role and reinforced the effect of copper, writes the Veterinary Institute. The police investigate further The police in Nordland launched an investigation into the case in April. This continues now, where the aim is to find the source of the poisoning. – In the future, we will continue to carry out investigations to find the source of the reindeer’s death, but we will now focus the investigation on sources that can lead to copper pollution, says investigator for animal welfare crime, Stine Marie Brox Gundersen in the police. The police say they know of several sources that can lead to copper poisoning, but suspect that they do not have an overview of all of them. – We want it to be safe and good for animals to graze and live on Herøy. Help us find the source of the copper pollution so that no more animals have to suffer as the reindeer did, says Brox Gundersen.



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