<div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-0"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Dressed in dark clothes and hiding behind a mask, a dark figure hopped over a six-foot-tall wooden fence and opened up Star VII’s cage to release perhaps the nation’s most famous reindeer into the dark Anchorage night at 6:30 on Feb. 20.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Star was <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.facebook.com/AnchoragePolice/posts/pfbid02iCPUUcy4Zed819rd98LegSPT7d6X4GMNZVbMPiLubSJ7Bus5ze6CocCx56JQT6uUl" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">found roaming</a> the city’s streets by a member of the Anchorage Police Department later that evening. But the next night, a disguised figure visited Star’s enclosure and sprayed him with what his owner believed was air freshener.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Anchorage’s Star reindeer are the stuff of legend, serving as the unofficial mascots of the city and playing a vital role in parades, school field trips and cultural events — living the life of small-town celebrities. Like the Pope or the Dalai Lama, when one Star dies, another Star is named.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">In the hours after Star VII was assaulted with air freshener, the reindeer feel deeply ill, and the Anchorage Police Department began its investigation into who might have sought to steal and harm the animal. No arrests have been made, and the police have posted <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.facebook.com/AnchoragePolice/videos/1537880573552580" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">security camera footage</a> of an assailant in an effort to get tips about the case.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="Dropzone-1"></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-1"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Albert Whitehead, 84, a retired technology entrepreneur and Star’s caretaker, said he did not know what the attacker who poisoned the reindeer looked like but noted that he had heard the attacker’s voice.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“Stop!” Mr. Whitehead screamed at the attacker, whom he caught on his security footage spraying his animal.</p><div class="css-1336jj"><div class="css-121kum4"><div class="css-171quhb"></div><div class="css-asuuk5"><noscript><div class="css-7axq9l" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="css-1b5b8u1" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="24"><path clip-rule="evenodd" d="M2.5 12a9.5 9.5 0 1 1 19 0 9.5 9.5 0 0 1-19 0Zm8.5 1.75v-7.5h2v7.5h-2Zm0 2v2h2v-2h-2Z" fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd"></path></svg><div class="css-6yo1no" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript-message"><p class="css-3kpklk">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.</p><p class="css-3kpklk">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.</p></div></div></noscript><div class="css-1dv1kvn" id="optimistic-truncator-a11y" tabindex="-1"><hr/><p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. 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