Finland’s only water buffalo park draws visitors despite shy animals

Finland’s only water buffalo park has quickly become popular, although visitors may see the animals only briefly from a distance, Yle reports.

The Water Buffalo Park in Pieksämäki offers guided visits to four water buffaloes at Lake Pieksänjärvi. The animals are kept on a small island less than 200 metres from the shore, where they often shelter among birch trees and reeds.

Some visitors have been more fortunate. When a guide began telling one family about the buffaloes, the animals left the island and gradually came to the fence to search for and eat aquatic plants.

“It was wonderful that they came so close and that we could see how they eat and behave as a herd. They even played a little,” Reetta Vallisto said.

Number of animal farms has doubled

The park was established this year and has attracted visitors particularly since Midsummer. Animal keeper Leena Meriläinen said she held five guided tours a day for groups of up to 15 people during the busiest period.

The park does not have exact visitor figures because people can also view the water buffaloes without a guide.

Interest in farm animals as tourist attractions has increased in Finland. According to the Finnish Food Authority, the number of animal farms has doubled in a couple of years and now exceeds 200.

There are also numerous other tourist destinations where animals are primarily kept for purposes other than display. Such places do not need to be registered as animal farms.

Kirsi Ilola-Ollikka, chair of the Finnish Rural Tourism Entrepreneurs’ Association, estimates that the number of different animal tourism destinations runs into several hundred. Cafes and accommodation providers increasingly offer visitors the chance to pet small animals, most commonly chickens, sheep and rabbits.

Water buffaloes can also be observed in Heinola, where they clear vegetation from the shore of Lake Isiäinen.

The animals have a role in improving the lake

In Finland, water buffaloes are raised as beef cattle. In Pieksämäki, however, their job is to eat and trample reeds so that the water quality of the eutrophic lake can improve.

The buffaloes eat at least 25 kilograms of aquatic plants a day. They also eat willow and birch.

Meriläinen said the animals had been moved to a new pasture three weeks earlier. Since discovering the island inside their enclosure, they have preferred to remain under the protection of the birch trees.

The animals are named Yötyö, Anni, Yllätys and Yoda. Yötyö is considered the leader and wears a collar. Anni has a long fringe and thick winter coat because she spent the winter in an outdoor shelter. Yllätys is the smallest of the herd, while Yoda has longer ears than the others.

Visitors cannot decide when the buffaloes appear

Meriläinen said the animals are allowed to stay away from people if they do not want company. She sometimes cuts a large bundle of rosebay willowherb to encourage them towards the shore.

“The animals have their own will. If they are not interested in human company and want to stay farther away, we let them be. They come at their own pace when they want to,” she said.

The article also notes that animal farms and zoos have faced criticism over how animals are displayed to visitors. Providing animals with places to hide is important, while visitors may be disappointed when the animals remain out of sight.

An animal farm may display cats, dogs and mammal and bird species that may legally be kept as production animals. If animals are primarily kept for agricultural production or another comparable purpose rather than for display, the destination does not need to be registered as an animal farm. Zoos mainly display wild animals and require a permit from the Finnish Food Authority.