Organisation: Luonto-Liitton susiryhmä (The Finnish Nature League's Wolf Action Group)

We are a nation-wide nature and environment protection organization for children, the youth, and young adults. We work in forest, wild animal, water systems, climate and energy issues and are pioneers in environmental education in Finland.

Website: http://www.luontoliitto.fi/susiryhma/in-english

Dates: 1-2 July 2017

Place: "Tuulispää" Animal Sanctuary - a retirement home and rescue shelter for farm animals http://www.tuulispaa.org/english/

Description of the activity:

Applying for support from the state organisation the Finnish Wildlife Agency (https://riista.fi/en/) for supplying us with all the required materials for installing a protective electric fence around 5 Hectares of recently acquired pasture land.

Once we got the confirmation saying the state would support this project with all the needed materials, we advertised the event in our social media calling all our active young members to do voluntary community work for the installation of the fence.

We installed the fence during the weekend of July 1st-2nd 2017 and on August 14th 2017 cows arrived for the first time to feed on safe summer pastures.

What was the environmental problem:

The Animal Sanctuary “Tuulispää” acquired a new pastureland for allowing their rescued farm animals to graze freely during the summer. The problem was that the area is also home to wildlife such as grey wolves which would naturally prey on these animals if left on unprotected land. Throughout history in Finland there has been much intolerance and hate towards wolves which has been a big obstacle for wolf conservation.

What is the result:

In an effort to promote tolerance to wild animals, by installing an electric fence we were able to protect farm animals from predation by the local wildlife, and fulfil their need to graze freely on the land while at the same time showing to other farmers in the area that coexistence with wild predators is possible.

At the same time, we were able to engage with the environmental authorities to support the first animal sanctuary in Finland and the endangered Finnish grey wolf population (less than 180 individuals left in the whole country).  

Environmental challenge accepted - Public vote

Main page of the project