MEET OLIE….

THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE TANNENBAUM FARMS FAMILY! 

Several years ago Tannenbaum Farms purchased a couple of reindeer to complement the ambiance of the Farm.  Nick and Hans were first displayed in 1997.  Unfortunately they have both passed away, each due to a brainworm infection that is carried locally by whitetail deer (whitetails are unaffected), but which is extremely deadly to many other deer and deer-like species.  Following the death of Nick in 2001 and Hans in 2002, two new reindeer were purchased.  Heidi and Hansi were not as “user friendly” as Nick or Hans, thus they were not made available for public display.  Male reindeer have a tendency to become quite aggressive during the rut, and often act in an unpredictable manner, thereby increasing the liability risk.  On April 30 of this year Heidi gave birth to Olie.  Obviously we were quite excited, however, there were some anxious moments.  Heidi was not inclined to be a “good mother”, thus Olie had to be taken to the MSU Animal Clinic where he spent nearly the first week in an incubator with IV tubes, etc.  Eventually following blood transfusions, several injections, and much TLC, he was brought home and kept in a dog crate in the house for about four weeks.  He was placed on a 2-hour feeding schedule which was eventually increased to four, and later reduced to three times a day.  Through all of this attention he has become very “user friendly” and loves to be around people.   He is expected to be a “regular” during the Christmas tree season.   Unfortunately, Heidi became quite ill following his birth and died exactly one week later.  Hansi, the farther appears to be very healthy, has a very large rack, and is quite a showman.  Unfortunately, he is still somewhat unpredictable and will not be on display.  Feel free to walk back to the corral behind the barn at the house if you would like to view him.