Radio | News week in plain Finnish | Sunday 20.7.2025

Protection of the arctic fox.

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The topic of this week’s news is the Arctic fox. Arctic fox breeding has been successful in Finland this summer. Now we’ll tell you more about this rare animal in Finland.

Arctic fox nesting has been successful for the fourth summer now

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The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus, formerly Alopex lagopus) is a canid that lives in the tundra of the Northern Hemisphere. Photo: Martin Wagner/ All Over Press

The arctic fox situation in Finland has improved.

The arctic fox is a canine animal that lives in the tundra of the Northern Hemisphere. The arctic fox is slightly smaller than the fox.

Arctic foxes are found in the fell area of Lapland in Northern Finland.

This is the fourth summer that arctic foxes have successfully nested in Finland. Nesting means that the animal is able to build a nest, have young, and care for them.

Metsähallitus estimates that there may be cubs in three arctic fox dens this summer. The goal is to permanently reintroduce arctic foxes to Finnish nature.

The fox population was weak for a long time

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Arctic foxes were hunted almost to extinction in Finland. Photo: Albatross World Sales GmbH

Arctic fox nesting was also successful last summer, even though the foxes had little to eat. There were not enough rodents, such as voles and shrews.

That’s why there have been 30 arctic fox feeders in the fell areas of Finland.

Arctic foxes successfully nested in 2022 for the first time in a long time. Before that, nesting was successful in 1996.

The Arctic fox was protected in Finland and other Nordic countries in 1930. Before that, arctic foxes were hunted extensively because their fur was valuable.

There are fewer arctic foxes in Finland than elsewhere.

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Arctic fox breeding in 2023. Photo: Alexandra Antell/WWF

The arctic fox is a critically endangered species in Finland, meaning it is in danger of extinction.

Metsähallitus and the environmental organization WWF have a joint Nordic conservation program.

Arctic fox conservation has received 2.3 million euros in funding from the European Union. Metsähallitus’ share is half a million euros.

With the money, Metsähallitus feeds arctic foxes and hunts foxes in the area. The fox competes with the arctic fox for the same food.

In the fells, a hiker can protect the arctic fox by taking away all the food that is suitable for the fox.

At the beginning of the 2000s, there were only about 40–60 polar bears in Finland, Sweden and Norway. Conservation has helped, and now there are about 550 polar bears.

Repetition

The topic of the news week was arctic fox nesting in Finnish Lapland.

The endangered Arctic fox has been doing better in recent years than it has in a long time. Arctic fox breeding has now been successful for four summers in a row.

Despite the protection, there are not many arctic foxes in Finland.

Here was Uutisviikko in plain Finnish - until next Saturday!