Five wild forest reindeer released into the wild

Five young wild forest reindeer – including one born at Ranua Wildlife Park – that were moved last winter to an on-site enclosure in Lauhanvuori National Park have now been released into the wild. The release was timed for midsummer, when food is abundant in nature.

“We deliberately released the group of five at the same time, as they had been moving closely together in the on-site enclosure. This way, they could begin their independent lives as a familiar herd,” says wild forest reindeer specialist Milla Niemi from Metsähallitus, who coordinated the release.

The movements of the reindeer are being monitored using GPS collars. Each individual also has a brightly colored ear tag for identification.

The release supports the growth of the local wild forest reindeer population in the Lauhanvuori area. This population was originally established through a reintroduction effort as part of the EU-funded WildForestReindeerLIFE project. Its development will be further supported by future releases under the upcoming LIFEline4Fennicus project, which begins next year. Ranua Wildlife Park is one of the project partners coordinated by Metsähallitus.