ULAN BATOR, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The reindeer population in Mongolia rose to 2,636 at the end of 2019, up by 240 from a year ago, according to the data released by the country's National Statistics Office on Tuesday.
There were more than 2,000 reindeers in Mongolia during the 1970s. However, the number dropped to 926 at the end of 2007 as reindeer herders had to butcher and sell their reindeer for lack of sustainable incomes, bringing the animal to the brink of extinction.
The Mongolian government has taken measures to improve the herders' living standards by promoting tourism, bringing the number of reindeers back to 2,000 in 2016. Since then the reindeer population has been growing continuously.
Particularly, the country holds a reindeer festival in the northernmost province Khuvsgul every summer to promote the unique culture of reindeers and protect the animal.
Mongolian reindeer herders only live in Khuvsgul province where around 90 households keep reindeers.
