A bear that escaped from a wildlife centre in Kuusamo, Northern Finland, was shot by officials on Saturday evening.
The female bear left the privately owned Suurpetokeskus ("large predator centre") on Friday afternoon through a gate that had been left open by an employee. This summer, authorities threatened to close the centre due to shoddy conditions after another bear escaped last spring.
Suurpetokeskus warden Pasi Jäntti told Yle on Saturday afternoon that the staff had thought they would be able to catch and tranquilise the bear themselves. Among other efforts, they tried to lure the bear back with food.
On Saturday afternoon, the Oulu police department and the Border Guard joined the search for the bear.
The police enlisted the help of Suurriistavirka-apu (SRVA), an organisation maintained by game management organisations that coordinates assistance provided by hunters to police in incidents involving large wild animals.
Based on tips from the public and an SRVA dog, the she-bear was located about three kilometres from the wildlife centre in the Kolmisopensuo bog area.
A veterinarian attempted to tranquilise the escapee, but this failed.
According to a police statement, "the bear had to be shot by SRVA. Permission to shoot was given by a representative of the large predator centre."
Centre faces closure after surprise inspection, mauling of owner
According to Oulu newspaper Kaleva, the bear, a 20-year-old known as Nätti, was the second to be put down after escaping from the Kuusamo centre this year.
In April, a four-year-old male was put down after escaping with another bear and attacking the centre's CEO, Sulo Karjalainen, who founded the centre to care for orphan bear cubs in the 1990s. He was hospitalised with bites and scratches on his neck.
In June, the Regional State Administrative Agency for Northern Finland threatened to close the centre. That followed a surprise inspection in May which found shortcomings in the conditions in which animals were kept, including insufficient enclosures and improper food such as excessively salty hot dogs.
The SRVA is overseen by the Finnish Wildlife Agency, which in turn operates under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Suspected illegal shooting of bear cub in Kuusamo
Also on Friday, the Kainuu Border Guard said it was investigating the suspected illegal shooting of a bear cub in Kuusamo.
According to the head of the investigation, Captain Juha Romppainen, the suspected crime took place on 26 August in northern Kuusamo, close to the Russian border. There are three suspects.
According to Romppainen, the shooting took place during a legal hunting event. Border Guard surveillance indicated that the bear may have been less than a year old, in which case it was protected. The Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) is to determine the age of the animal.
A preliminary investigation is underway.