The erupting Kizimen Volcano in Kamchatka, Russia's Far East, poses a threat to wild animals, including some endangered species, the RIA Novosti reported Thursday.
The news agency said reindeer were now leaving their traditional habitat for lack of food as the volcano continues to spew ash over hundreds of kilometers. The animals' only food in winter, reindeer moss, is buried under a thick crust of ice and ash.
Experts from the Krontosky Nature Reserve warn that reindeer numbers may be reduced to less than 1,000 as a result of the eruption.
Kizimen, one of the 29 active volcanoes in Kamchatka, has been spewing ash since December 2010.