Keke the reindeer wins fans after Instagram handle goes on its collar

Inari reindeer Keke has increased its Instagram following tenfold this summer after its owner wrote the account name on the animal’s yellow collar, Yle reports. Keke’s videos have been viewed more than 650,000 times in the past 30 days.

Owned by Jonna Alava, the 11-year-old reindeer has been known among tourists and local residents for years. Alava said Keke has often been photographed in the village, but its popularity grew sharply once people could identify it online.

“It is nice that people now know that the reindeer that has always moved around here is Keke,” Alava said.

Hanna Nurmi, executive director of the Reindeer Herders’ Association, said Keke’s fame was a familiar phenomenon. Reindeer have an exceptionally strong, empathetic and positive image, she said, making them important attractions for tourism and useful in companies’ marketing.

Keke is not the only famous reindeer. Nurmi said the reindeer Aatu from Savukoski was well known even before social media. Kippana from Rovaniemi attracts fans to the city from as far away as Australia, while Äijä accompanies hikers along the Hetta to Pallas route.

Payment comes in lichen

The municipality of Inari has also recognised Keke’s appeal. In July, Inariviikot, the municipality’s largest summer event, worked with the reindeer as an influencer to promote the event.

“We have previously had people officially appointed as social media creators at the event. Now we decided to make a deal with a reindeer,” said Mirja Karjalainen, the municipality’s cultural secretary.

Keke’s payment for the work is lichen.

Last week, Inari hosted a meet-and-greet with YouTubers Lakko and Herbalisti. For next year, however, the agreement has been made with Keke.

“It is still too early to guess which event will attract more people, or whether the reindeer will replace the YouTubers,” Karjalainen said with a laugh.

An uninvited guest at events

Reindeer are semi-domesticated animals, and their familiarity with people varies. Keke is easy to photograph and film because it approaches people, is not feared and wanders wherever it chooses.

It has been seen in a queue at a local festival, in a churchyard during a wedding, beside a coffee kiosk at a harbour dance event, lying next to a fire engine at an equipment demonstration, at a local school and at a strawberry stand in Ivalo, about 40 kilometres away.

“Once it even tried to go into a circus. No one invites it anywhere, but it just goes everywhere,” Alava said.

Local residents have reacted positively to the reindeer’s activities. They sometimes call Alava to ask whether Keke should be brought home or allowed to stay where it has wandered.

“Everyone knows it. People I know also give me tips if they see Keke in a funny situation,” Alava said.

Keke nearly died before midsummer

Keke attracts a steady stream of tourists when it is in the village of Inari. One of them was Leone Barbora, who was travelling from Italy to Norway’s North Cape and wanted a photograph with a reindeer during the trip to Lapland.

Barbora, who was seeing a reindeer for the first time, asked Alava why Keke had only one antler. The question is frequently asked by other visitors as well.

“In mid-June, Keke had an accident and its other antler started bleeding. Keke was already on its knees, and its death was very close. Now the other antler has withered,” Alava said.

Before the antler incident, Keke made what Alava described as its most significant adventure when it joined Rita Tuononen and Moona Havula for several kilometres as they ran from Nuorgam to Hanko. The stunt brought Keke to the attention of national media, including Yle’s morning television programme.