The reindeer population in Mongolia reached 2,396 at the end of 2018, increasing by 167 animals compared to the previous year, the country’s National Statistics Office (NSO) said.

There were more than 2,000 reindeer in Mongolia during the 1970s. However, the number dropped to 926 head at the end of 2007, since reindeer herders had to butcher and sell their reindeer due to the lack of sustainable income sources, bringing the animal to the brink of extinction.

The government of Mongolia has taken measures to improve the herders’ living standards by promoting tourism, bringing the number of reindeer back to 2,000 in 2016, since which the reindeer population has been growing continuously.