Reindeers relax in the water – bathing among humans in the summer heat

Summer heat is something many of us love — but also need relief from every now and then. And, as it turns out, the same applies to our furry animal friends.

This can be demonstrated with a video caught by a man named Pekka Niinivaara.

While out bathing in his native Finland,Pekka encountered reindeer. It was over 89 degrees Fahrenheit outside… which might explain why they eventually stepped down to the beach and immersed themselves in the midst of all the other bathers. Human bathers, that is.

Now the extraordinary picture is spreading widely on Facebook.

Pekka told Aftonbladet that he was not completely shocked that the deer went down to the beach.

“Large flocks of deer are known to completely block the roads in this area,” he said. “It was fun to see them go down to the beach to relax.”

Pekka snapped a photo of the scene, later posting it on Facebook with the caption: “It was a very hot day in central Rovaniemi in northern Finland (in the afternoon the thermometer showed 89 degrees)… But beachgoers were not the only one who needed to cool down. These are reindeer, the tame version of wilder versions found in North America. They live in most areas of northern Finland.”

Within a week of posting the image, Pekka’s post had gained over 21,000 likes and 18,000 shares on Facebook.

Amazing, isn’t it?

Please share this photo so that everyone can see this magical scene of people and animals enjoying a cool down in the summer heat together!