The iconic reindeer, who is much loved to have attended the parade, featured on reality TV shows and visited by school children on a field trip in Alaska's biggest city, fights for his life after someone tampers with a pen and gets a mysterious illness.
Since then, the 8-year-old star has experienced pneumonia, digestive issues and rapid weight loss. Star owner Albert Whitehead hopes to take him to the veterinarian every other day to receive care and find the source of the problem.
“I think we did everything we could for him,” Whitehead said. Veterinarian Sabrieta Holland said the reindeer's prognosis is “protected.”
Star lives in a fenced pen attached to Whitehead's home on the edge of downtown Anchorage. It's been over 20 years since someone last tried to tamper with the enclosure. The star is the seventh in the reindeer line carrying its name.
In early January, someone drilled a big hole in the fencing to get an entrance and spent about five minutes with the stars before taking off. It's unknown what the person did with the pen, but Starr suffered from stomach problems and quickly began to lose weight.
Then, on February 20th, Anchorage police discovered that a friendly and trustworthy reindeer wandering downtown had brought him home.
When Whitehead reviewed his security cameras, he discovered that someone had used a bolt cutter to remove the star pen and padlock from the alley gate. The star chased the man into his neighbourhood, and the reindeer was rolled up alone downtown, which rolled up the familiar street as Whitehead walked him.
The next night, things got even worse.
Whitehead slams over his face a man with a scarf sprayed something from two different cans onto the star pen, slamming the reindeer twice with unknown substance.
Whitehead rushed outside to confront the man.
“I cried out to him to stop,” what the hell are you doing? What are you spraying on the animals? Don't do that, stop it! ” Whitehead said.
The man replied: “I'm trying to help Starr.”
“He doesn't know what that means,” said Whitehead, who suspects that the spray was a disinfectant and deodorant based on the smell.
Whitehead and the police believe it was the same man from the night before. It is unclear whether the January tampering involves the same person.
“I don't think an individual wanted to hurt the star, but his actions made him do,” Whitehead said.
Anchorage police have posted surveillance video on social media in hopes of leading to the suspect's identity. So far, there have been no actionable hints, spokesman Christopher Baraza said in an email.
The star's pneumonia has worsened, and I believe the star ate something harmful while the cough led Whitehead, possibly relaxing.
Pneumonia is likely that he accidentally inhaled chronic reflux or inhaled the largest stomach reflux of the four top-class stomachs, Holland said. Sprays may have contributed too.
There may be blockages, but the reindeer's biggest stomach is very large and not easily hampered, Holland said. However, ingested plastic bags that cause chronic weight loss and indigestion problems are the most common foreign bodies she has seen in reindeer.
The next option is surgery to look at the abdomen of a reindeer and perhaps remove the blockage, but even for healthy deer, it is generally a poor outcome, she said.
The bond between Whitehead and the Stars is “very important and precious,” Holland said.
“It all comes down to the stars, including Albert's daily life and the reasons for going out for walks. And Star really loves Albert too,” Holland said in the text. “If he loses a star it would be very devastating for him.”
Anchorage pioneers Oro and Ivan Stewart began the reindeer tradition, bringing deer received from Alaskan herdsmen in the 1950s to the anchorage. Whitehead took over from his friend in 2002 as caretaker.
The average lifespan of reindeer is about 15 years, but some stars had long lifespans like the first people living at 23 years old. The third star died after eating a plastic bag.
