The number of wolves in Finland has risen sharply, according to the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
The institute estimates that there were 413–465 wolves in Finland last March, with the most likely number around 430. That's a whopping increase of about 46 percent from a year earlier.
In the spring of 2024, the population was estimated at 277–321, most likely around 295 individuals.
The number of wolf territories has also increased. According to Luke, there were 76 wolf territories across the country in March, up from approximately 62 wolf territories last year.
It estimates that there were about 57 family packs and 19 pairs without cubs, including those moving around the border regions.
Wolves exterminated in reindeer herding areas
The strongest growth in wolf numbers was in western Finland, especially the southwest.
In March, Luke did not detect any permanent territories within the northern reindeer herding areas, which cover some one third of Finland.
The previous autumn, there were signs of six packs or pairs in those regions, but those territories disappeared by spring, when 26 wolves were shot under special permits.
During the review period, 19 male lone wolves were also identified in Finland. Of these, Luke estimates that nine are probably still alive. Seven of these solo wolves roam the southeast, while two are in western Finland.
Population poised to keep growing
Luke's population estimate is based on data from March, when the number of wolves is at its lowest, according to lead researcher Samu Mäntyniemi. Pups are usually born after that month.
"The population is at its highest in May and then it gradually starts to decline. Around November, the population is still significantly higher than in March," Mäntyniemi explains.
Luke’s wolf population assessment is based on a variety of observations, including from the public, as well as DNA monitoring, information on known mortality and other research material. This year, its data coverage was clearly better than the previous year, the agency says.
EU loosened legal protection
Luke predicts that the wolf population will continue to expand unless more hunting is allowed. It expects that there will be about 10 percent more wolves next March than this past spring.
For several months, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has been preparing legislation that would allow wolf hunting in Finland. Current legislation allows for the killing of problem individuals and within reindeer herding areas.
Sami Niemi, a ministerial adviser at the ministry, said at a press conference on Tuesday that the wolf population in Finland is now at a level that allows for population management hunting, although the wolf is still classified as a critically endangered species in Finland.
Wolves sometimes prey on livestock and pets, but have not killed a human in Finland since 1882.
In May, the European Parliament voted to downgrade the legal protection status of wolves, moving the species from 'strictly protected' to 'protected' under the EU's Habitats Directive. The decision was strongly criticised by conservation groups, including the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (FANC).
