A growing loss of fear toward humans among large predators such as bears and wolves is causing increasing problems across Finland. In response, Finnish authorities are planning to allow limited hunting to help restore these animals' natural wariness, reported Xinhua, quoting News Agency STT on Thursday.
Bears are increasingly being spotted in residential areas, rummaging through garbage bins for food. Wolves have been responsible for killing pets and livestock — including a recent incident near Pori in southwestern Finland, where a wolf killed a pony.
Sauli Harkonen, director of public administrative functions at the Finnish Wildlife Agency, told STT that authorities receive near-daily calls to remove bears from residential areas. Earlier this month, police in Central Finland were forced to kill a persistent bear that repeatedly returned to a household garden.
Wolf-related damages are also being reported earlier than usual this year. "In previous years, attacks on domestic animals typically began in August, when adult wolves teach their pups to hunt," Harkonen said. "But this year, the problems started much earlier."
Fortunately, fatal attacks on humans by wild predators in Finland are now extremely rare.
"Large predators learn quickly and become habituated to humans," Harkonen said. While there is no single explanation for the change in behavior, he suggested that the long cessation of hunting may be a factor. "There may be no biological memory left that humans are dangerous. Another reason could be the sheer increase in population size."
According to the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), the bear population last autumn was estimated between 1,800 and 2,375, while the number of wolves ranged from 270 to 321. LUKE warns that without intervention, the bear population could double by 2030.
To address the issue, authorities recently granted 129 special permits to hunt bears in Eastern Finland in an effort to reintroduce fear toward humans. However, the permits remain subject to legal challenges, and Finland's Administrative Courts may delay or block the hunts.
In northern Finland's reindeer-herding regions, bears can be hunted under annual quotas. Elsewhere in the country, bear hunting is permitted only in emergencies. Wolves, meanwhile, always require special authorization to be hunted.
A legislative change is currently underway that would classify wolves as a huntable species during a designated season. The revision follows recent changes to European Union law, which downgraded the wolf's status from "strictly protected" to "protected," giving member states greater flexibility.
Bears are primarily concentrated in Eastern Finland, while wolves are more common in the southwest — an area with abundant elk, which may be contributing to wolves' growing numbers, according to LUKE.
- Bears
- wolves
- Finland
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
