Are You Breaking the Law If You Own a Reindeer in Arkansas?

Have you ever watched the holiday classic, Prancer and thought how cool it would be to own a reindeer?

Well, think again, it is illegal to own a reindeer in Arkansas. The state of Arkansas does not allow a person or persons to own a reindeer as a pet because they are extremely dangerous according to an article from Fun in Arkansas. Reindeer fall under the Arkansas Exotic Animal Laws and according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reindeer need wide open pasture areas with different kinds of plant species to survive.

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Keeping a reindeer in a confined fenced area unable to roam freely could make the deer sick and suffer under these conditions. However, procedures have been tried and proven successful in raising reindeer in Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and other parts of the United States.

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One of the dangers is during the mating season a male reindeer can become very aggressive, irrational, unpredictable, and territorial. If you get attacked by a reindeer you be severely injured or even die from the attack. These animals are not only large and powerful but they are also really fast and can outrun a human being quickly with speeds up to 50 miles per hour. I mean, after all, It takes a lot of speed to pull Santa's sleigh right?

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Reindeer are not able to be domesticated they can jump over fences and can easily escape and they don't like being harnessed or saddled unless you are Santa Claus and that's a whole different story. Reindeer have always been associated with Santa for decades and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

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There is only one exception for November and December that Arkansas does allow and that is for bringing a reindeer from other states like Oklahoma and Missouri for holiday events or shows. However, a special permit must be obtained to do that. Did you know that owning a reindeer in states where it is allowed can be very expensive? Yeah, somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000.

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Law changes all the time so do city ordinances just because you are prohibited from owning a reindeer as a pet now in Arkansas doesn't mean that the law could change soon.

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So, I guess for now we will just have to leave Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen to Santa Claus and listen for the prancing and pawing of each little hoof on the Night Before Christmas. Ho Ho Ho!

If you have never seen the movie "Prancer" watch it now courtesy of YouTube.

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