LAKSELV, Norway, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Officials in the Norwegian village of Lakselv said they were startled to find a headless reindeer that was placed outside the village hall.
The reindeer body, which was frozen solid, was discovered Wednesday morning as village officials arrived at work, TheLocal.no reported.
"It need hardly be said that this is not something you want to be faced with when you arrive at work," the deputy council leader Helge Nicolaisen told NRK radio.
Norway's Reindeer Police, a unit in charge of protecting reindeer and their ethnic Sami herders, have been contacted over the incident.
The unit will thaw the carcass and perform an autopsy, most likely on Friday.
Per Valved, the director of the Reindeer Police, said investigators have not yet determined why the corpse was placed where it was.
"We don't know whether there's someone who wants to give some kind of signal, or whether it's just a coincidence that it is set outside the village hall," he said.
"Most likely it was a joke," said Bjorn Arne Johansen, who first reported the story in Sagat, a local Sami newspaper. "A similar carcass was seen in Skoganvarre, about 40 km [25 miles] south of Lakselv a while ago. This one isn't there anymore, and some people think it has been moved to the town hall for fun."
