Holiday Weekend Fun: 3 Of Santa's Reindeer In Bay Area!

BAY AREA, CA – Children and adults can see three reindeer at the San Francisco Zoo until New Year's Day, zoo officials said Saturday.

The reindeer named Belle, Holly and Peppermint will be at the zoo's Playfield Lawn near Elinor Friend Playground to bring holiday cheer and allow people to learn more about them.

"Celebrate the holiday season by visiting the animals who help Santa deliver presents to all the children in the land," the zoo announced. "Learn what they eat (besides carrots and cookies on Christmas Eve) and see what they look like up close and on the ground."

Reindeer are domesticated caribou, according to zoo officials. But reindeer are a "vulnerable" species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, because the population has declined 40 percent in the last 20 to 30 years.

Reindeer are adapted to life in cold climates because they have two thick layers of fur and special bones in their nose, which warms the air they breathe before it enters their lungs.

They also have special hooves that change in the spring and winter to allow them to walk on spongy tundra and ice.

Reindeer are used by numerous circumpolar cultures for food, milk, antlers and hide, zoo officials said.

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--Bay City News/Photo via BCN by Marianne Hale