It was at the beginning of May 2021 that the reindeer was shot. Before that, it must have been chased and injured by a dog.
Two suspected men in their 50s were arrested and charged at Gällivare District Court for damage and violation of the Reindeer Farming Act. According to the indictment, the men committed the act with intent. Both have always denied wrongdoing.
Gällivare district court thus acquits the men of having shot the reindeer. On the other hand, one of them is sentenced for violating the Reindeer Husbandry Act when his dog is said to have torn up the reindeer.
The two suspected men have confirmed in questioning that one man’s dog chased and injured the reindeer. However, they have denied all criminal suspicions.
One of them has admitted the actual circumstances and says that he killed the reindeer, because it suffered from the injuries inflicted by the dog. He has said he used a knife, and both men have denied shooting the reindeer.
Several times in Vittangi
The reindeer belonged to a reindeer herder in Vittangi Sami village. Several cases of shot reindeer have been noticed there in recent years. Vittangi Sami village has several times reported cases of suspiciously shot reindeer to the police.