WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — After years of constant phone calls, emails and even a protest from an animal activist group, the owners of a West Mifflin home and garden center decided not to show their reindeer this year.
Meder’s, a nursery and greenhouse, puts on a Christmas display every year featuring Santa Claus, a sleigh and live reindeer.
Up until this year, the reindeer were kept in a separate room that visitors could go in to see and feed them.
This year, the display features stuffed reindeer instead of the fallow deer that have been kept in an enclosed area for almost five decades.
The owners told Channel 11’s Trisha Pittman that they passed USDA surprise inspections two-three times per year.
The owners also said they treated the deer as pets – something animal activists disagreed with because they wanted the deer to have sunlight.
Pittman reported the reindeer have been moved to a farm where they receive plenty of sunlight, have an outdoor area to roam and an indoor shelter.
The owners said they’ll bring back the deer for a short time next year, and then return them to the farm.
WPXI
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