In February, a Danish man who works as a part-time Santa Claus, or whatever they call it in Daneland, filed a claim with the Danish Air Force saying that one of his reindeer had died of a heart attack after two fighter jets passed over his farm. The man said that the death of the reindeer, whose name was not disclosed, would leave him with only one to pull his sleigh next Christmas.
After checking flight data and veterinary reports, the air force agreed that the planes had probably caused the death and said it would pay the claim. "We got a letter from Santa," said a spokesman, "and looked into it seriously."
The air force will pay the cost of a new reindeer, plus the vet expenses.