In a freak occurrence, 323 reindeer were killed in a lightning storm in Norway, according to NPR.
Thousands of reindeer inhabit the Hardangervidda plateau in central Norway, which is preserved as a national park and makes an excellent home for wildlife. Norwegian officials found the carcasses Friday while supervising nearby hunters. NPR reports that the officials figured that so many were killed because they may have been scared of the thunderstorm, and would have gathered together, putting more of them in the spot where the lightning struck.
In an interview with the Verge, lightening safety expert John Jensenius explained that large groups of animals can be killed when they absorb lightning spreading through the ground, which stops their hearts.
"Lightning goes up one leg and down another. Animals are more vulnerable because their legs are spread out more, so the ground currents travel more easily in their bodies," he told the Verge. "It doesn’t matter if they’re touching, or exactly how close they are, it matters that they were all in the area hit by lightning. Ground currents are the thing that’s responsible for the most lightning deaths and injuries in both people and animals."
According to The New York Times, the dead reindeer will allow scientists to check for the spread of a contagious neurological disease, similar to mad cow disease, that affects reindeer, deer, caribou, elk and moose.
