“The animals seem to be in an area that was 50 to 80 feet in diameter
and on a hillside, which gives you some idea that lightning can travel a good
distance and still be deadly. It’s the electricity going into the body. It passes through
the nervous system and nerves, and the deadly part is that it stops the heart.”

- John Jensenius, M. S., NOAA Lightning Safety Specialist

Some of the 323 reindeer herd lying dead in Hardangervidda National Park,
Norway, on Friday, August 26, 2016. Image by Havard Kjontvedt,
Environment Directorate, The Norwegian Nature Inspectorate.

Why are big antlers off the heads of many male reindeers?
Frame from video by Thomas Mossing, RT.com News.

On Friday, August 26, 2016, this photograph was taken of 323 wild reindeer all dead in a severe thunderstorm, so cause of death is presumed to be a lightning strike. But what exactly happened is still unknown. NOAA lightning safety expert John Jensenius says, “Ground currents are the thing that’s responsible for the most lightning deaths and injuries in both people and animals. In this case, the animals seem to be in an area that was 50 to 80 feet in diameter and on a hillside, which gives you some idea that lightning can travel a good distance and still be deadly. It’s the electricity going into the body. It passes through the nervous system and your nerves, and the deadly part is that it stops the heart.” This is one of the largest animal kills attributed to lightning on record.