by When driving at night, it can be nearly impossible to spot a wild animal on the road before it’s too late. In fact, Finland has estimated that over 4,000 reindeer ᴅɪᴇ each year due to car Aᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛs. The sad occurrence is also a costly one; the damages are estimated to be €15 million (almost $18 million) a year. This has inspired groups like the Finnish Reindeer Herders Association to mitigate ꜰᴀᴛᴀʟɪᴛɪᴇs and cost with a variety of solutions. One simple-yet-ingenious idea was to spray the creatures with reflective paint so that they glow when light hits them.
Initially, in 2014, the Reindeer Herders Association applied the paint to different parts of the mammal, giving the animal, when lit, the appearance of a bicycle vest. In doing so, the organization hoped to make the deer more visible to cars. The motorist would thus have time to slow down and the animal time to flee before a serious or even ꜰᴀᴛᴀʟ accident occurs. Obviously, everything has been checked so that the spray is environmentally friendly and has no impact on the reindeer.
“The spray is being tested on fur at the moment, but it may be even more effective on the antlers, because they are seen from every side,” Anne Ollila, chairwoman of the Reindeer Herders Association, explained at the time. Photos of the reindeer showed the antlers as well as parts of the animal’s back glowing in the dark.
Despite the eye-catching measures, neither the reflective reindeer antlers nor reflectors hung around the animals’ necks worked in the end. anne ollila, director of the finnish reindeer herders’ association told the associated press, ‘drivers often mistook reindeer with reflectors for people in the dark, thinking they wouldn’t run into the middle of the road when they saw car headlights approaching, and the deer would tear the reflectors off.’
“The antlers interest broadly around the world and was the best campaign so far,” the association said. “There are some problems with the durability and utility, but the product development continues.”
