13 REINDEER DIE ON SVALBARD, CAUSE UNKNOWN

OSLO, AUGUST 7 /SRNA/ - The discovery of 13 dead reindeer on the Svalbard archipelago has puzzled researchers, and the cause of death is still unknown, an unnamed official from the Norwegian archipelago said.

During a survey of the animal population in two valleys of the archipelago, two dead males and 11 females were found.

"It is highly unusual for reproductive females and adult males to die during the summer, so we ask residents to report any dead reindeer they find," the official said.

He added that it was unclear what had killed the animals.

The same source reports that in July, veterinarians had already carried out autopsies on three recently deceased reindeer and taken numerous samples, but that the cause of death remains unknown.

The Svalbard reindeer is a subspecies found exclusively on this Arctic archipelago, DPA reports.