Bullied reindeer has testicle surgery to fix submissive behaviour

Rudolph had a shiny nose. Eskimo the bullied reindeer didn’t. He had something altogether more embarrassing, which stopped his antlers from growing. He didn’t turn to Santa to help but vet Romain Pizzi. Eskimo had suffered for eight years with one testicle wedged in his abdomen.

When keepers at Edinburgh Zoo noticed he was being bullied, they thought it was because the retained testicle was developing into a tumour giving off abnormal hormones.



This resulted in him ‘showing submissive behaviour’ to other males. Eight-year-old Eskimo underwent keyhole surgery, a world first for a reindeer, on his abdomen and his problem was cured.

Just ten minutes after the operation, he was on his feet eating. ‘Eskimo hardly seemed to notice he had even had surgery,’ said Mr Pizzi. ‘The operation has been a great success and Eskimo has made a speedy recovery.’