Are There Any Dangerous Wild Animals in Finland?
Yes! And it’s the largest and smallest of these which are most likely to harm you.
//CONTENT WARNING: DESCRIPTION OF ANIMAL ATTACK //
I recently published the story Five Fascinating Facts about Finland. At the end of that story, I invited people to ask me anything (AMA) about Finland.
One of the questions was “Are there any dangerous wild animals in Finland”
Oh yes. We have:
- brown bears, Ursus arctos arctos (number: over 2000, up from c. 1500 in 2010)
- grey wolves, canis lupus (216–246, up from 150–160 in 2010)
- lynx, lynx lynx (c.2000)
- wolverines, gulo gulo (up to 400)
- European adders, vipera berus (unknown number)
No polar bears though!
Bears, wolves, lynx and wolverines are all protected species in Finland under EU law. They cannot be hunted except under strict licensing and quota rules.
Although Finland’s wolf population is growing, wolves are (still) classed as an endangered species in Finland. Wolverines are also classed as endangered
Wolf and Bear Attacks in Finland
Bears and wolves can attack and even kill people, however, they avoid humans when at all possible. Both are, though, occasionally sighted in Finnish urban areas.
Bears can be found all over Finland (except on the Åland Islands). The largest populations are in eastern and central Finland and along the Finnish — Russian border in Finnish Lapland.
Wolves can also be found in all areas of Finland (except on the Åland Islands) with most in the east of the country, and with a growing number in Western Finland.
Bears hibernate from October/November to March/April whilst wolves are active year-round.
