- 42 reindeer from Norway crossed into Russia this year in search of better pastures.
- But Russia wants up to $4.4 million in compensation for the reindeer grazing in a national park.
- Norway is now repairing a rundown fence between the two countries to prevent future crossings.
Russia is demanding compensation from Norway for runaway reindeer chewing up Russian grassland.
Both countries share a common border in the Arctic. And while there's a fence to prevent reindeer from crossing borders, that barrier dates back to 1954 with parts in disrepair, the Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture said in a statement last Thursday.
The rundown fence has allowed 42 reindeer to cross into Russia this year in search of better pastures in Pasvik Zapovednik, a Russian national park.
But the crossings could prove costly.
Russia has already sent one claim — with two different ways of calculating the compensation — for the runaway reindeer's grazing, the Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture told Insider in an email on Thursday.
The two methods give "very different results" — from 50,000 kroner, or $4,700 to 47 million kroner, or $4.4 million — the Norwegian agriculture authority said. The latter claim is calculated based on the total number of days the reindeer have spent grazing in the national park.
The authority said that 40 of the 42 reindeer that crossed into Russia have been returned and slaughtered for fear they would cross into Russia again. The other two could be returned soon.
Meanwhile, Norway's agriculture directorate has reminded people to keep their reindeer in check. Reindeer are herded by the indigenous Sami people in Norway.
"It is strictly forbidden to cross the border into Russia, for reindeer too," the Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture said in a statement last Thursday, according to an AFP translation.
Norway is also repairing a 7-kilometer, or 4.3-mile, section of the reindeer fence at the cost of 3.7 million kroner. The repairs are expected to be completed by October 1.
Russia's natural resources and environment ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.
August 31: 9.41 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with a clarification from the Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture about the claim amount. Russia had sent one claim with two different methods of calculating the compensation. The previous story reported Russia had sent two claims.
