Maija the police reindeer dies in traffic accident

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Maija, the traffic safety mascot for Finnish police in Lapland, died in a traffic accident on Kittiläntie in Rovaniemi on Saturday.
      Maija [presumably named after the colloquial term for a police van Musta Maija, i.e. Black Maria] usually accompanied the police at PR events, campaigning for road safety.
      However, Maija’s calf Artturi, born last spring, will follow in his mother’s footsteps as a road safety ambassador, reports the Rovaniemi Police Department.
     
According to the police, this is one of the worst seasons of the year for reindeer accidents.
      A total of approximately 3,000 to 4,000 motor vehicle accidents involving reindeer occur in the reindeer herding areas of the north every year.


See also:
  Large numbers of reindeer moving around on roads in Lapland (22.12.2006)

Links:
  Central Organization for Traffic Safety in Finland

Helsingin Sanomat