Spitsbergen Reindeer (IMAGE) University of Washington Caption Reindeer graze on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in this 1992 photo. Many reindeer on Spitsbergen have starved to death because of rain-on-snow events, in the same way as musk oxen on Banks Island died by the thousands in 2003. Credit Jaakko Putkonen Usage Restrictions Bona fide news use only. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.