A new report with some excellent photos from Janco van Gelderen who was just in Finland, Europe’s large carnivore capital.
Finland, 2021: Janco van Gelderen, 1 week & 15 species including Wolf, Brown Bear and Wolverine.
Jon
New Trip Report: Finland
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Were the beavers you saw the European or Nort American?
*Species
In Finland actually only American Beavers. In 1937 Beavers from Canada were introduced for reinforcing the declining local Beaver population. At that time nobody knew that they are two different species. American Beaver has an higher reproductions rate and, instead to reinforce the local ones, they displaced them. Maybe a few pure Eurasian still live in the Western corner of the country, surely not in Karelia.
There is a debate if to eradicate the American Beaver and than to reintroduce the Eurasian ones. By the way, in Finland hunting is a very popular hobby, even in young people, and the richness of large carnivores depends only from the long border with the huge and unpopulated Russian taiga.
I found this map from 2018 showing the distribution of re introduced C. fiber and introduced C. canadensis in Finland. I believe you’re right it’s canadensis seen on this trip. As far as i’ve read they’re trying to eradicate canadensis.
Funny that Russia allows that two american species (the beaver and White-Tailed Deer) are introduced in their neighbouring country they migh be spies (Ha ha)…
I read the other day, that it is now allowed to hunt W-T Deer with spotlights and IR aimpoints.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Distribution-of-Eurasian-beavers-Castor-fiber-and-North-American-beavers-Castor_fig4_343862451
Nice! Well done Janco. We’ve been to the same place with Lassi Rautiainen a few years ago and during 4 nights, we saw severals wolves and wolverines but zero bear !! Lassi never saw that happening before. I was so glad to hear that :)…