Neon Raven Story Labs, University Centre in Svalbard

How does an Arctic animal live its best life? For one species, that answer comes from an unlikely source, the rapidly warming conditions caused by climate change. In the remote valleys of Svalbard at the top of the world lives the smallest, cutest – and fattest – reindeer, Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus, more commonly known as Svalbard reindeer. They live in a region of the world warming the fastest because of climate change, and it’s made their food grow a lot. But is this good news, or the calm before the storm?

This story follows best friends Emma, Oline and their faithful polar bear guard dog, Thando, across the tundra to live amongst the reindeer. There, they literally wait for shit to happen. From their tiny huts on the permafrost, they race to gather as much data as they can. Bonds of friendship and wonder give them the fortitude to pay attention to lessons found in the tiniest of details. And they are accompanied by the unfiltered innocence of the friendly reindeer.

But soon this reindeer Shangri-la may shift towards untenable conditions. Already, unusual rain events and rising temperatures are shifting conditions towards too much of a good thing. What will a warming Arctic mean to this animal that has lived an existence virtually untouched by humankind, until now?