Rare wapiti sighting points to possible spread of new deer species

A rare Siberian wapiti spotted in Viitasaari, a town in Central Finland, may be an early sign that new deer species could spread into the country, Yle reports. Animals could arrive from Russia, Sweden and Norway.

Finland has recorded repeated sightings of unfamiliar deer species over the past decade, including Siberian wapiti, Japanese deer and red deer. The wapiti seen in Viitasaari in mid-September is the westernmost confirmed sighting of the species in Finland.

Mikael Wikström, a special adviser at the Finnish Wildlife Agency, said the number of animals remains small.

“We are talking about a few individuals, not reproducing populations,” he said.

A population can become established only if females arrive as well as males. Herds must also produce calves before numbers begin to grow.

Wapiti and Japanese deer have reached Finland from Russia, while red deer have moved into the country at least from northern Sweden. Russia also has a Central Asian subspecies of red deer known as maral.

Heikki Henttonen, an emeritus professor of wildlife science at the Natural Resources Institute Finland, said deer seen in South Savo and southeastern Finland in previous years had been identified as maral. Russian researchers have since confirmed that the Viitasaari animal was a wapiti. Henttonen said some earlier maral sightings should therefore be reclassified as Siberian wapiti.

The identification has attracted interest among researchers. Henttonen said confusion has partly arisen because the word maral is commonly used in Russia for several animals related to red deer.

Wapiti is not listed as a game species

The arrival of new deer species also affects hunting legislation. Wapiti cannot currently be shot in Finland because it is not included in the game species list under the Hunting Act.

Red deer, by contrast, are protected under Finnish law. Henttonen said wapiti are an invasive species because they were introduced to a region near Finland. It remains to be seen whether their numbers will grow enough for the species to become subject to hunting legislation, or whether measures will be taken to prevent its spread.

Wikström said Finland may currently have more wapiti than red deer, but that could change. The red deer range is expanding steadily in northern Sweden and Norway, and he said he would be surprised if Finland did not eventually develop an established red deer population.

Red deer are already common along the entire Baltic Sea coast except in Finland. So far, trail-camera images in Finland have shown only male red deer.

New species could bring parasites

Climate change may also alter Finland’s deer species. Summers in southern Finland could become too hot and dry for some deer, forcing them farther north, while red deer, roe deer and wild boar could become more abundant in the south.

In Russia, wapiti and maral have been moved from eastern and southern regions to western parts of the country for hunting and farming. Animals released into the wild have gradually spread towards Finland.

Henttonen criticised the movement of species to new areas because of the associated risks. Wapiti and maral from distant parts of their original ranges have adapted to different conditions, parasites and animal diseases than native or European species, he said. They could bring diseases and parasites harmful to local animals.