Murphy the reindeer. (Photo by Adrian Childress/ Times of San Diego

As people passed the pen, they stopped and grabbed their cameras to take a picture. One woman exclaimed, “Where did they find a reindeer?”

Murphy the two-year-old reindeer made his debut at December Nights this weekend with his handler, Gabe Kerschner, close by the whole time.

It’s not the first time December Nights has brought a reindeer on the grounds of Balboa Park, but it was the first time attendees got to see one of the creatures face to face.

McKinna Dartez Chrismer, one of the architects behind December Nights, said that last year organizers brought reindeer out for the media before the event opened, but not for the actual festivities.  People who saw the coverage, then came to the park, asked where the reindeer were, so this year they decided to invite Kerschner and his friends back.

Kerschner is one of the co-founders of Conservation Ambassadors, a group that cares for displaced wildlife. Members make it their mission to educate the public about conservation. That’s where Murphy comes in.

He came to Kerscher’s ranch from a farm in Washington that didn’t have the capacity to take care of him as he grew. Now Murphy spends his time on the Conservation Ambassadors ranch in the Lake Tahoe area. A typical week for him includes traveling to different schools, where Kerschner introduces him to the kids and teaches them about the species.

He spends everyday with Murphy, living on the ranch, and said that as the reindeer’s personality is quite “needy,” he is a fan of the attention he gets at schools and special events.

Another of Murphy’s quirks? A fascination with dogs. As Kerschner said this, he motioned to Murphy standing behind him and called his name, but the reindeer didn’t budge, continuing to stare at a Bernese Mountain Dog a couple yards away.

  • A grand tree at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion at Balboa Park, with lights projected behind it and an audience watching performers around it.A grand tree at Spreckels Organ Pavilion at Balboa Park, Dec. 5, 2025. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
  • A holiday tree is the centerpiece, topped with a star, at a celebration in San DIego.A holiday tree lights up the night at December Nights, Balboa Park, Dec. 5, 2025. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
  • A man looks over his shoulder and through a gate around a grassy area at a wild animal grazing under a white canopy and hanging lights.Gabe Kerschner, with Murphy the reindeer, at December Nights, Dec. 5, 2025. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
  • The assembled bones of an extinct dinosaur seem green in a museum decorated for the holidays. A man holds a baby as others walk by.Even dinosaurs have the Christmas spirit at December Nights on Dec. 5, 2025 at Balboa Park. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
  • Santa on a throne surrounded by five people dressed up in winter gear, wit three of the people wearing holiday lights necklaces.Santa is ready for his close-up at December Nights, Deb. 5, 2025, Balboa Park. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
  • A crowd is assembled at night in front of a stage with the sign "Season's Greetings from Broadway San Diego."Performers in holiday garb at December Nights, Dec.5, 2-25, Balboa Park. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
  • The facade of the Museum of Man at Balboa Park, with a crowd lingering outside.The San Diego Museum of Us puts out the welcome mat for December Nights, Dec. 5, 2025. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)

Kerschner’s quick to mention the fact that reindeer are one of the earliest recorded domesticated large mammals and that caribou have one of the largest migrations on the planet, with around half a million of them traveling across the Arctic, land that’s also threatened by pipeline production.

He hopes that in teaching children about the animals and their habitat, they’ll grow up cognizant of conservation.

“Not that the kids are going to vote on it now, but I want them to know this is a very real animal and it’s out there and it’s not just something on a cartoon or (in) Frozen,” Kerschner said.

Their ranch recently got a Capybara, a rodent, similar to a guinea pig, that 10 years ago, people didn’t immediately recognize. Now, with the internet, children are familiar with them, Kerschner said. But with the recognition comes added challenges to educate kids on the reality of these animals and their nature.

“Now the problem with that is, everybody thinks capybaras are out there surfing around on crocodiles’ backs and these AI things. That’s a problem, but the word is (out) there,” he said.

He added that it’s not just kids who are unfamiliar with the animals, but adults too. Events like December Nights help introduce the species to everyone.

“I think the most important thing we do is this. Being able to help an individual creature is great, and I come at it with a big heart, and I want to help the animals,” Kerschner said. “But seeing the kids’ eyes come alive … and just sharing the world around them with them is really cool.”

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