Map
Status and Trends
Reindeer were introduced from Norway to four different areas in Iceland in the late 18th century but three of the herds had disappeared or died out before 1930. The Norwegian animals were of semi-domesticated origin but have always been feral in Iceland. The present day population is confined to East Iceland.
The reindeer population increased in size throughout the early 19th century, although actual population size at the time is unknown. The population declined again in the latter half of that century because of hard winters and overgrazing and is believed to have consisted of only a few hundred individuals in 1939. By then the herd was mostly confined to the northeast highlands in the precipitation shadow of the Vatnajökull Ice cap. After this the population gradually increased in size, spending summers close to Vatnajökull glacier and migrating east and north in autumn and descending to lower ground in winter.
Censuses were made in midsummer on horseback 1940-1953 and from an aeroplane after 1954. Around 1970 the herd had split up to about six subpopulations. Around half of the population spent the entire year in the eastern fjords and in the adjoining mountains and the rest on the highland plateau north of Vatnajökull glacier.
The population is increasing although 20-25% of the total summer population is hunted annually. The estimated winter population in 2008-2009 is 5200 animals and expected to be around 6500 in autumn 2009.