Over 2500 lynxes and 1700 bears counted in Finland

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Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,209
362
73
SE Wales
I made the mistake of looking at this through British eyes - of course your laws and circumstances and traditions are completely different from ours and I should have been much more objective :)
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
I live in a little village in the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by wildlife. Some as close as the deer that stand on my front doorstep
at night in the snow. The local fur trappers are convinced that growing wolf packs have all but eliminated deer in some districts.

But nationally, there's growing interest in research which suggests that predator control does not result in improved herbivore numbers.
I don't understand the arguments so can't comment.

Easily within 30 minutes of my house, I can show you Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, Mountain Caribou, Whitetail deer, Mountain Goats, Mountain Sheep and ranch Bison.
For large predators, we have Grizzly & Black bears, Wolves & Coyotes, Cougars, Lynx and Bobcats.
Rounding out that bunch are the Fishers, Martens, mink & weasels, Skunks, Porcupines, Beaver and MuskRats.
Just for a giggle, we can go look at Llamas and Alpacas, you could be anywhere on earth with the mountain skyline.

Here's out threats: There are small groups of deer (3-5 animals) which forage in yards and gardens in the winter.
Very much habituated to people. This is attractive to cougars for easy kills, which they have done in the village.
As you can imagine, parents of small school children are most concerned.

Country children from ranches and farms come to school by bus. In the spring and fall, those kids ride their
bicycles to and from the school bus stops. Not many years ago, 3 young grizzlies, driven out of prime habitat by mature males,
were timidly testing their hunting skills, approaching the kids after school at the country bus stops.
Nobody waited until a child was killed.

A grizzly can sprint fast enough to run down a horse.
 
A pack of three wolves has been spotted several times near the city of Turku, the fifth largest city in Finland, during November and December. The municipalities near the city have now applied for licenses to shoot them because of the threat they supposely pose against humans. The only killed being for now was a hunting dog in Köyliö. Annually at least one wolf pack is seen near a major Finnish city. What do you thing about the topic and what should be done for these wolves?

Too much reading fairy tales? Isn't Little Miss Rinding Hood one old british one?

We don't hunt wolves now. There's plenty of wolves up here and there numbers are increasing. I see absolutely no evidence of loss of any of their prey animals - Caribou, deer, geese etc., There;'s plenty of those still.

As for being scared of brother wolf, we have no fear even in winter when packs of eight to ten come close to your tent in winter. They are just curious thats all. It is only the city folk who come north who ask us about being afraid of wolves.

Domestic dogs are more dangerous than wolves as they have no inbuilt fear of man. Lots of people up here have been bitten by loose domestic dogs.
 

Wayne

Mod
Mod
Dec 7, 2003
3,750
642
51
West Sussex
www.forestknights.co.uk
Sad that we can't share our space with large predators. I find camping in true wilderness a liberating experience. I have camped in bear country in Canada, Alaska, Sweden, Finland and Japan never had any issues. People need to learn good hygiene and how not to interact with their neighbours.

In this country we can't cope with a badger. Let alone wolves and Lynx.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Sad that we can't share our space with large predators. I find camping in true wilderness a liberating experience. I have camped in bear country in Canada, Alaska, Sweden, Finland and Japan never had any issues. People need to learn good hygiene and how not to interact with their neighbours.

In this country we can't cope with a badger. Let alone wolves and Lynx.

What predators were in Japan?
 

Martti

Full Member
Mar 12, 2011
919
18
Finland
Report on eagle and falcon nesting in Finland in 2015 (in Finnish):

  • 330 Peregrine falcon hatchlings (294 in 2014)
  • 192 Golden eagle hatchlings (213 in 2014)
  • 67 White-tailed eagle hatchlings in Northern Finland (83 in 2014)
  • 16 Gyrfalcon hatchlings (7 in 2014)

Although the number of hatchlings were smaller with the Golden and White-tailed eagles in 2015 than they were in 2014, the number of individual territories grew with all of the bird species.
 

Martti

Full Member
Mar 12, 2011
919
18
Finland
Finnish ambulance crew caught a pair of fighting moose on video:

[video=youtube;Ahq7W7Q2eg4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahq7W7Q2eg4[/video]
 

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