Christmas Saved as Emergency Services Capture Fugitive Reindeer
A major multi-agency operation was launched on Saturday afternoon after a reindeer made a dramatic escape from a festive event in the seaside town of Formby, Merseyside. The incident prompted a significant response from emergency services, culminating in a successful rescue on the beach in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The Great Reindeer Chase
The reindeer fled its handlers in the early afternoon of Saturday 29th November 2025. By around 4:45 PM, the situation had escalated, leading to a call for assistance from the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust, commonly known as Southport Lifeboat. Merseyside Police, who had already been searching for the animal for several hours, had tracked it to Formby beach but subsequently lost sight of it.
Concerns grew that the reindeer might enter a nearby river, prompting the coordination of a wider search effort. This involved the lifeboat's quad bike team, as well as coastguard units from both HM Coastguard Southport and HM Coastguard Crosby.
Thermal Tech and Sand Dune Strategy
The rescue teams sprang into action, using thermal binoculars to locate the missing animal in the fading light. Once spotted, the Southport Lifeboat crew used their quad bikes to carefully shepherd the tired reindeer into some nearby sand dunes. There, a police drone was deployed to keep a constant watch on its movements.
By this stage, the reindeer was reported to be "pretty tired," and the hope was that it would settle down in the dunes to rest, which it eventually did. This provided a crucial window for the next phase of the plan.
A Bizarre Night Concludes with Success
Plans were made to safely sedate and transport the animal. A vet travelled from Salisbury, Wiltshire, with the necessary sedatives. They were supported by Royal Marines who were conveniently on a training exercise at a nearby firing range. The team successfully sedated the reindeer at approximately 1:20 AM on Sunday morning.
The Southport Lifeboat crew had been stood down around 10:00 PM after nearly five hours of assistance. A spokesperson for the service described the evening's events as "bizarre" and quipped, "It's quite topical for the time of year, isn't it?"
Emphasising their readiness to help, the spokesperson confirmed that all agencies played a vital part. Both the lifeboat trust and HM Coastguard Crosby took to social media to celebrate the joint effort, with the latter posting on Facebook: "Thankfully Christmas is saved thanks to all agencies involved." The reindeer was safely returned to its owners in Wales.
