North Karelia keeps eastern border wildlife gates open

Wildlife gates in the eastern border barrier fence remain open in North Karelia, Yle reports.

The Finnish Border Guard closed similar gates in southeastern Finland last week to prevent the spread of African swine fever.

The Finnish Food Authority found African swine fever in wild boars in Virolahti, in the Kymenlaakso region, at the end of July. The disease may have entered Finland from Russia, but this has not been confirmed.

Mikko Kallinen, deputy commander of the North Karelia Border Guard District, said closing the gates has not yet been considered necessary in the region.

“The purpose of the gates is to enable animals to move. As we do not have an acute situation, the wildlife gates are being kept open,” Kallinen said.

The Border Guard is monitoring the disease situation closely and can close the gates quickly if necessary. Kallinen said the spread of African swine fever to Finland was not unexpected, as the possibility had been identified at the border and response procedures had been prepared in advance.

Patrols have also received instructions on how to respond if they encounter dead or sick wild boars. Kallinen said the lessons now being learned in southeastern Finland would help improve preparedness in North Karelia.