| Rudi on the Road |
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| By Sandra Grötsch | ||||||
| Thursday, 21 December 2006 | ||||||
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Oulu’s local radio station Radio Mega (103,1 MHZ, http://www.radiomega.fi/ -  only in Finnish) warned in its news on December 19th that people intending to drive from Oulu towards Kuusamo should be especially aware of reindeer on the road. Many herds are now moving between Pudasjärvi and Taivalkoski.Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer’s pals are known for their notoriously bad behavior in traffic.
The animals often approach the road slowly, but may sometimes suddenly run out of a ditch or the forest. When you see one reindeer you can be sure that more are not far away trying to keep up with their leader. A reindeer behaves totally unpredictably – it may change its speed and direction without warning, turn to the side or simply stand in the middle of the road for a long time. Honking the car horn is of no use. Reindeer simply ignore it. In case you see reindeer on or beside the road, drive very slowly towards them and wait until they have moved away from the road. In case you have a traffic accident with an animal, whether domestic or wild, you are obliged to inform the police. Even though reindeers are rather small they still may cause considerable damage to your vehicle. They always pay for traffic accidents with their lives. It is very well-know that reindeer meat tastes great, but it is strictly forbidden to take a dead reindeer for one’s own use, because every reindeer has an owner, who wants to have its value restored. In case you are eager to see reindeer and take pictures of them, please take into consideration the darkness and holiday travel, and do not step out of the car onto the road without taking precautions. Reindeer may be observed without danger on Hailuoto island and at Santa Village in Rovaniemi, whereas their meat may be found at the market hall or in the larger supermarkets in Oulu.
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