I want to move to Finland for the Adult Education..

[tuulen]

The only place I ever encountered bears in Finland or Sweden was the zoo.

I've had black cats cross in front of the car. White cats cross in front of the car. Moose stand in the road. Reindeer get tossed by a train. Hedgehogs shake their quills at me. Norwegians invade a sauna. A randomly encountered prime minister on skis share a snack on Seurasaari on New Year's Day.

And I've seen wild bears in Nova Scotia and South Carolina and North Carolina.

But I've never run into a bear in Finland.

That's not to deny they exist, but I think in Finland, you're more likely to get eaten by a tax man than a bear.

From what I understand, there seems to be some friendly joking between Finns and Norwegians, but I don't know much about that.

Taxes appear to be popular with the government of Finland. There are taxes here, too, but apparently not as much.

[tuulen]

It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a bear.

lol The grue of Finland! But actually, I was only half joking. My wife and I lived in a big city for more than ten years, and big cities do have their attractions. I'd like to spend a little time in Helsinki and some other interesting Finnish cities, but many of the other attractions in Finland appear to be in fairly remote places with few people. And, I suppose that bears like fairly remote places with few people, too.

Well in last 100 years there have been few deaths caused by bear, last one was jogger running between mother bear and childs and he died by bad luck, bear didnt maul, eat or such just hit and that caused death by bad luck. One bad hit. One before that is history and nothing sure is known.
I have liven in northern finland and travelled around forests, once i have seen bear tracks. Bears in here thank to centuries of hunting are more afraid of you than you are on them. They flee if they see/smell you first.

If you see bear then ->
> walk back slowly, make some noise but nothing too much.
> dont look in eyes and for good dont run!
> if it follows drop something like jacket.
> do not try to hit it with rocks or woods, it just annoys it. And if you have gun then better to be sure you really leathally hit it on first try.
> if it does attack it can be false attack to tell you to fck off so dont try anything.
> on false or real attack try to look dead, bears dont usually eat humans and see them "only" threat.

> if you see carcass of elk or something probably killed by bear retreat on where you came.
> same if you see bear nest.

> you CANT outrun, ourclimb or outswim bear, if it really wants you you have no change.


Probability that you really see a bear is zero, probability you see a bear and it attacks you is zero. You have really have to born under bad stars to die by bear in finland
Still we teach what to do with bears to childrens because its not cuddly teddybear but huge carnivore.

Thank you! It's good to learn that the chances of seeing a bear are so small. Also, I bookmarked this page, so that I can study what you wrote. It's much better to know what to do, and what not to do, before actually seeing a bear. Again, thanks!

[AldenG]

Bears in here thank to centuries of hunting are more afraid of you than you are on them. They flee if they see/smell you first.

I'll bet that has something to do with the tendency for humans to be followed around by ball-biting Karelian Bear Dogs. It wouldn't take many experiences to teach that lesson. Who knows, maybe bears even pass a legend from generation to generation.

[tuulen]

Bears in here thank to centuries of hunting are more afraid of you than you are on them. They flee if they see/smell you first.

I'll bet that has something to do with the tendency for humans to be followed around by ball-biting Karelian Bear Dogs. It wouldn't take many experiences to teach that lesson. Who knows, maybe bears even pass a legend from generation to generation.

Aha! I have heard about those dogs, the Karelian Bear Dogs, usually of black and white color, and they are used in the western US where there are big bears. I wonder if it's possible to get one of those dogs in the US, train it, and then bring it with me to Finland? Of course, there might be some legal difficulties in bringing a dog into Finland, and I'll look into that. BTW, I like dogs.

[ajl]

One aunt of my spouse had many bear dogs and it did discourage the bears she did see from
time to time before she moved out of Lapland, hasn't seen any since. Really I'd be more
worried about the fierce city rabbits, they can be absolutely huge.. you might crash your
bike if you get distracted by one when you are seeing one for the first time.

[tuulen]

...the fierce city rabbits, they can be absolutely huge...

I like dogs, I don't have one, and I won't have a chance to visit Finland for perhaps a few years, which would give me enough time to raise a puppy, and train it. I understand that it is illegal to carry firearms in Finland except for licensed hunters, but a dog could be put on a leash. BTW, there are some places in Lapland and in eastern Finland that I would like to see, too, and apparently some of these areas are known to have bears.

I've heard that there are big rabbits in Finland, but, are they really fierce? The rabbits in my area run away from humans.

[Pursuivant]

[tuulen]

OK So I guess the story of rabbits being fierce is an urban legend that is told to tourists.

[ajl]

but, are they really fierce?

That sorta depends, do you like to garden? The vole population has done terrible damage this year as well.

I would suggest traveling with dogs (any dogs) might make travel arrangements more difficult, big dogs more so.
[You shouldn't need any excuse to get a dog you want to get, assuming you have the enviroment to support the
dog you choose (room to roam/work, copious amouts of food, yadda yadda), but that doesn't mean that you
have to travel abroad with them.] I'm sure you could hire someone with dogs if you really are worried about
bears in Finland. I don't know people worried about bears when hiking, mushroomingor berry picking in lapland
- having a gps is handy to avoid getting lost (a more likely occurance).

[tuulen]

Well, I'm only aware that there are big bears in Finland and this is the first opportunity I have had to ask questions about them, and so perhaps some of my questions might appear ignorant. But, about bears in Finland, the truth is that I am ignorant, and, moreover, given that a bear could be so dangerous, I would rather ask questions now, to avoid making any stupid mistakes in the future. I appreciate your responses, and your patience, thank you.

[sinikala]

My name is David, 18 years old, I am a residant of England and have a part time job. I have very little qualifications, having failed my primary school exams when I was young and most of my secondary ones too. I have a little money in my bank, about £10,000.

If the OP does ever return to this site ... (I suspect he won´t)

Joined: Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:40 pm
Last visited: Sat Jun 27, 2009 9:45 pm

then if he is an EU citizen, with 10k in the bank, it would be possible to come here, but would be rather unwise to do so.

There was a young guy who posted on here for a while ... I forget his user name, he attempted what you are suggesting and it went pear shaped. Essentially, if you can´t complete your GCSEs and A-Levels in your mother tongue, you stand zero chance of completing high school in Finnish.

Good luck to you.

[tuulen]

but, are they really fierce?

That sorta depends, do you like to garden? The vole population has done terrible damage this year as well...

In the area where I live, gardening can be very difficult because there are a variety of different animals which will eat anything and everything planted. For instance, several years ago of friend of mine bought a house, and planned to have a big garden. He worked hard to prepare the soil, including tilling and fertilizing, and then he planted many things, but he harvested nothing because everything got eaten. So, the next year, he put up fencing around the garden, which kept out some of the animals, but not all of them, and he didn't harvest much. In the third year, he put up a lot more fencing, and had better results, but it wasn't until perhaps the fifth year that he finally had enough of the right kinds of fencing, and was able to harvest most of what he planted. It's also fair to say that his experience is typical of this area. Voles, rabbits, woodchucks, deer and a variety of insects just love to eat fresh fruit and vegetables!

[tuulen]

My name is David, 18 years old, I am a residant of England and have a part time job. I have very little qualifications, having failed my primary school exams when I was young and most of my secondary ones too. I have a little money in my bank, about £10,000.

If the OP does ever return to this site ... (I suspect he won´t)

Joined: Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:40 pm
Last visited: Sat Jun 27, 2009 9:45 pm

then if he is an EU citizen, with 10k in the bank, it would be possible to come here, but would be rather unwise to do so.

There was a young guy who posted on here for a while ... I forget his user name, he attempted what you are suggesting and it went pear shaped. Essentially, if you can´t complete your GCSEs and A-Levels in your mother tongue, you stand zero chance of completing high school in Finnish.

Good luck to you.

It appears that I have hijacked this thread, although I didn't intend to, and my apology to the OP. And, given the sometimes rambling nature of the questions I have been asking, could there be a more appropriate forum for asking such questions?

[Pursuivant]

I wonder if it's possible to get one of those dogs in the US, train it, and then bring it with me to Finland?

Now I'd like to ask one thing about the USA. Now if I hit the jackpot and come for a visit, apparently a regular face mask like Michael Jackson wore isn't enough to avoid all the little things in the air. I might be going to California and don't wish to get the hippie.

[tuulen]

I wonder if it's possible to get one of those dogs in the US, train it, and then bring it with me to Finland?

Now I'd like to ask one thing about the USA. Now if I hit the jackpot and come for a visit, apparently a regular face mask like Michael Jackson wore isn't enough to avoid all the little things in the air. I might be going to California and don't wish to get the hippie.

I can assure you that I am not a Michael Jackson, and that I have no face to mask.

I am not perfect. I can make mistakes. And, it is not my intention to intrude on Finland, or on you, sir.