Reindeers' drug high

A scientist has claimed reindeer deliberately eat magic mushrooms to overcome the monotony of dreary long winters.

Andrew Haynes believes the animals seek out the mind-bending fly agaric fungi in the wild while the herdsmen drink the reindeer's urine to get high themselves.

Writing in the Pharmaceutical Journal, he said: "They have a desire to experience altered states of consciousness.

"For humans a common side-effect of mushrooms is the feeling of flying, so it's interesting the legend about Santa's reindeer is they can fly."