Devon to decide name of Cotley Farm’s baby reindeer

East Devon’s Cotley Farm’s welcomed a baby reindeer to the herd in May this year.

It’s rare for baby reindeer to be born in this country – and to survive, as the survival rates are not high over the first few months. The last calf the farm are aware of being born in the Westcountry was in Cornwall in 2010.

Cotley’s owner Helen Bowker said, “It was a bit of a surprise all round to be honest.  We hadn’t thought Spice was young enough to be in calf and she’d always been a bit tubby but we knew there was an outside chance.  However, she had shown no signs of labour in the morning and yet, one afternoon when my neighbour’s daughter was helping me feed the reindeer, I heard an excited squeal – and there she was: the tiniest calf you’ve ever seen.”

Although now thriving and ready to draw the crowds over the Christmas period, the baby reindeer has been lucky to survive those early days.

Helen says, “It turns out that the calf was born a little early and her mother didn’t have any milk at first.  Even if she had, the baby reindeer was so small she couldn’t have reached the teats!  So for the first 10 days of her life, I had to hand feed her with a bottle. Luckily she grew quickly and was soon able to feed from her mother – which was a relief as reindeer milk is 20% fat so is hard to substitute for a long period.  This just goes to show how vulnerable baby reindeer are in the first few weeks – and why it is so rare to have one survive.”

Now the new baby will be on show at Cotley Christmas Tree Farm and Shop from 26 November until Christmas Eve. She’s still unnamed though – and Cotley want to give you the chance to choose her name.  The deadline to submit name suggestions has been extended from 18th to 25th November, so you have the chance to submit your idea here.

A shortlist will then be available for Devon to decide the final name - make sure you follow our Facebook page to find out how to vote. 

The winner will receive a personal introduction to the new baby at Cotley near Whimple on 21st December alongside a festive prize to take home.