Finland concerned about mass deaths of reindeer and links it to the war in Ukraine
Finnish scientists and the reindeer herders' association link the record deaths of reindeer in the country to an increase in the number of wolves entering from Russia, writes CNN.
Photo: freepik.com
According to data, in 2025 there were about 1950 cases of fatal wolf attacks on reindeer — almost 70% more than in the previous year.
Local residents believe that this trend is related to the Russian war in Ukraine, as many hunters from border regions of Russia, who previously regularly hunted wolves, have now gone to war and therefore are not maintaining the local balance of the animal population.
Finnish specialists believe that the increase in the number of wolves, as well as other predators — bears, wolverines, lynxes — leads to the mass death of reindeer. Over the last decade, the Finnish Natural Resources Institute has collected and analyzed thousands of wolf DNA samples, revealing a sharp increase in individuals with DNA markers previously not found in the country. This suggests that predators are crossing the border from Russia.
In Finland, wolves are classified as an endangered species, but in November 2025, the government allowed their culling to control the population. Culling licenses are primarily issued to residents of areas where reindeer husbandry is developed.
Uha Kujala, owner of the "Reindeer World" farm in the Kuusamo municipality, approximately 40 km from the Russian border, reports finding reindeer killed by wolves almost daily. The loss of females is particularly difficult for him, as they only reach sexual maturity at two years old and give birth to one calf per year.
The Finnish Ministry of Agriculture estimated that the loss of one female means a loss of about 1572 euros for the farmer. Although the state provides compensation, receiving it requires a lot of time and effort, and the amount paid does not cover all losses.
The farmer emphasizes that the situation threatens the entire ecological balance of the region and the traditional activity of reindeer herders, which has existed in Finland for centuries.
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