Eurasian Brown Bear on a reindeer carcass. The Taiga forest in northeast Finland is a very special place. We had spent hours waiting for interesting wildlife encounters. We had seen wolves but in the distance and had one very special sighting of a wolverine. The light was fading and it was getting to the point where the cameras needed to be packed away. Then at the tree line in the distance we spotted a large bear slowly making its way along. We waited cameras at the ready. Suddenly this magnificent bear emerged from the forest and made its way to the reindeer carcass. This bear is known locally as the The Priest because of its very distinctive pale collar.
It started to feast on the carcass. The majority of their diet consists of sedges, fruits, berries leaves and roots. They do not normally catch and kill their food but will scavenge on almost anything. These bears can double their weight from spring to winter. They are not full hibernators but like to den in protected spots and are easily woken!
A fully grown male Eurasian brown Bear can weigh up to 480 kg and can have length of 2.5m. Females are smaller weighing between 150-250kg. They have huge paws with claws that can be 10cm long. It is thought that there are around 2000 bears in Finland.