Man gave dying newborn reindeer mouth to mouth

When maintenance engineer Chris Walker arrived at work on Sunday, little did he know he would soon be giving a dying reindeer calf the kiss of life. Chris is responsible for repairing machinery at Twinlakes Park, near Melton Mowbray, but his previous experience working with livestock proved invaluable when the park’s two-year-old Scandinavian reindeer Holly went into labour. He was working on a rollercoaster when a frantic call came through on his radio.

He said: “As the farm director was off site and I have had previous experience with livestock, I guess I was the best person to call. We observed Holly in the paddock from a distance with binoculars so not to distress her, all seemed to be going well until the calf was born - I suspected immediately that the calf was not moving.



“I rushed over to find the calf lying on the grass lifeless. She had a very weak heartbeat and was not breathing, I checked her airway was clear, rubbed her briskly to stimulate the heart and gave her a couple of breaths in her mouth. As soon as I was confident that she was breathing I left her to bond with her mother.”

Snow White, born weighing 11lbs, is growing stronger and becoming more playful with mum Holly and dad Abisko. Park manager Sandy Gyorvari said: “Chris was brilliant, he quickly rushed to her rescue. We have named her Snow White as she was brought back to life by our very own Prince Charming.”

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