In the last twenty years, the number of lynx has more than doubled in Finnish forests, it is estimated according to the latest census.
In the 1960s, the lynx became a protected species in the country, but today it has increased to the point where it is considered viable. In the last twenty years, the number of lynx in Finland has more than doubled and this year the count was 2300 individuals.
Lynx are found throughout Finland, except for the reindeer herding area in the north and some parts of Ostrobothnia. According to Annika Herrero, a researcher at the Natural Resources Institute Finland, lynx are most abundant in Uusimaa, Southwest Finland, Häme and South Savo.
A major reason for the increase is abundant food. Lynx like to eat hares and small cervids, such as white-tailed deer and roe deer, which have been abundant in Finland. Reproduction is also progressing.
– Lynx are reproducing efficiently, Herrero told the Finnish state broadcaster Yle.
The lynx was close to extinction about 100 years ago, but even in Sweden today there are about 1300 lynx. The population has been relatively stable in recent years, increasing in some counties and decreasing in others.
In both Sweden and Finland, a form of licensed hunting of lynx is carried out, with the aim of regulating the populations in the countries. In Sweden, the hunt is mainly motivated by a desire to reduce the risk of serious damage to domestic animals, while the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) emphasizes that lynx also have an important function in the ecosystem and calls for other preventive measures rather than hunting. During this year’s Swedish license hunt, a total of 87 lynx were shot, the previous year the figure was significantly higher when every tenth lynx was shot in the country.
