Keijo Nevaranta faces trial over feeding birds in Kajaani
Saturday 14th November 2026 on 17:01 in
Finland
Keijo Nevaranta, a bird-feeding advocate from Kajaani, is accused of an environmental offence, and the Kainuu District Court will hear the case in February, Yle reports.
Kajaani banned the feeding of animals in 2024, but volunteers continued feeding birds. The city then filed a police report. It says the ban was prompted by a significant increase in nuisance animals in recent years.
The city has said feeding wild animals has been most visible in the case of ducks. According to the city, bird droppings have stained structures, yards and children’s playgrounds, while also increasing the risk of disease. It has also argued that feeding can disrupt animals’ natural behaviour.
Nevaranta has defended feeding birds for years, describing it as an ethical responsibility to help animals in need. He has also cited the Animal Welfare Act, which requires people to help wild animals that are sick, injured or otherwise helpless. He says the case concerns the survival of 350 to 400 ducks until spring.
The charge prompted Nevaranta to write a roughly 40-page pamphlet, titled Kynskin sorsien puolustuspuhe, or “A defence of Kynski’s ducks.” Kynski is the name used for Kyynäspäänniemi, a peninsula below the Koivukoski power station in Kajaani, where ducks have typically been fed. The pamphlet, which brings together Nevaranta’s writings and information about feeding ducks, is due to be formally released at the Kajaani Book Fair on Saturday.
Nevaranta has previously told Yle that he is willing to go to prison for the birds. He says the suspected offence concerns a day when, according to him, he was not in Kajaani’s zoned urban area, and that he will not respond to allegations about acts he did not commit.
Environmental offences can be punished with a fine or up to six months in prison. Nevaranta says he will continue making his case in writing after the court’s decision, whatever the outcome. Views differ on feeding ducks in winter; biologist and bird expert Vesa Hyyryläinen, for example, says wintering waterfowl should not be fed.