A group of rare deer was photographed in the Russian Arctic National Park

The press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources reported that for the first time this year a group of wild reindeer fell into the lens of cameras on Cape Zhelaniya of Severny Island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. The pictures were taken near the field base of the Russian Arctic National Park in the Arkhangelsk region.

The Novaya Zemlya subspecies of the reindeer is listed in the Red Book of Russia. This animal is an important component of the ecosystem of the southern cluster of the Russian Arctic National Park. Scientists suggest that in rare cases this species of deer acts as an object of hunting for polar bears.
"For a long time it was believed that the indigenous deer subspecies assimilated with imported animals. But in 2014, here, at Cape Zhelaniya, for the first time in the history of a specially protected natural area, several individuals of the native Novaya Zemlya deer were seen," the report says.

Over the past ten years, scientists have conducted a number of studies confirming the isolation and uniqueness of the genetic structure of the Novaya Zemlya subspecies of wild reindeer. Fresh photographs suggest that the number of these animals in the national park is gradually increasing and requires closer study.

The study of the Novaya Zemlya deer is necessary for a clear distinction between the aboriginal subspecies and the unprotected subspecies of deer living on the South Island of Novaya Zemlya. In addition, in the future, scientists want to determine where the deer breeding grounds are located on the Northern Island of Novaya Zemlya.