At the Wild Brown Bear watching centre in the Kuhmo area of eastern Finland it has already been a very busy spring. The area still has deep snow and will do so until the end of the month. The evening temperatures  are still well below zero

The first of the wild brown bear made an appearance on 8 April 2008 and will gradually be joined by more  bears as they come out of hibernation.

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) can be found across Eurasia and North America.

A brown bear can weigh anything between 130–700 kg, although having just come out of hibernation they are currently at their lightest. The bears primarily feed on vegetable matter, such as berries, roots and fungi. Their primary meat source is fish although it will kill small mammals. During the summer the brown bears will gain in the region of 180kg in weight.  The hides at Wild Brown Bear are the ideal location to experience these amazing, primarily nocturnal animals.

Recent days have also seen frequent sightings of the rare wolverines. The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is the largest land-dwelling species of the weasel family. It lives in the isolated northern regions of the world, Scandinavia, Alaska, northern Canada and Siberia. They are also native to the Baltic countries.

The wolverine is a stocky and muscular carnivorous animal. An adult wolverine will grow to about the size of a medium sized dog. It is an incredibly strong animal with powerful jaws. It can kill animals several times its size and will not hesitate to defend its kills from much larger predators.

A real highlight in March was the sighting of two wolves, a very rare occurrence even in this stunning and isolated setting.

For further details on experience Finland’s Wild Brown Bears click here.