Bear Ate Nipsu the Dog’s Food in Suomussalmi – Tourism Could Be the Reason

Feeding bears at feeding stations could potentially cause the animals to become bolder towards humans, believes research professor Ilpo Kojola. Tourism could be one of the reasons why bears become more familiar with humans, as they are often lured with dog food for people to photograph and observe. This practice is mainly conducted in the eastern parts of Kainuu and Koillismaa.

Bears that frequent feeding stations tend to be quite friendly towards the humans who operate these stations. It has also been observed that, overall, bears at feeding stations are less wary of humans.

A rare incident occurred in Suomussalmi last weekend when a bear broke into a residential backyard dog enclosure, ate the dog food, and chased the resident dog, Nipsu, before escaping into the forest. Kojola deemed the incident unusual and did not speculate on the cause of the behavior. It is not possible to know if this particular bear had visited a feeding station.

Human waste can also attract bears. For instance, in Ilomantsi, North Karelia, bears have been rummaging through trash cans in residential areas this summer. The most recent report came on Sunday, when a mother bear with two cubs was spotted in a residential area.

Bears also visited the summer cottage of Eija Teräs in Ilomantsi last week. “My husband went to take out the garbage after breakfast and came back saying that we had visitors. The bear had made quite a mess,” Teräs recalls.

Bears have been visiting the area around Teräs’s cottage and other houses’ trash cans. Teräs believes it’s important to raise awareness about these incidents. “In my opinion, bears belong in the forest, not in our yards. It’s not pleasant to check every morning if the trash can has been knocked over again. It’s quite an anxious situation,” she says.

Pertti Kettunen, operational director of the Ilomantsi Game Management Association, notes that strong-smelling biowaste and empty packages of grilled food in trash cans attract bears. In one case, a bear had visited an open compost pile containing fish scraps.

“This phenomenon of bears dumpster diving is known worldwide,” comments Kojola.

A report published by the Natural Resources Institute in March estimates that the bear population in Finland has increased compared to last year. Before this year’s hunting season starting in August, the bear population in Finland is estimated to be between 2100 and 2250, representing a 20% increase from last year.

As the bear population grows, so does the number of bears that are more familiar with humans, Kojola notes.