First Bear Cubs Have Arrived at Bear Kuusamo with Their Mum
Every summer, we get to see tiny bear cubs in Bear Kuusamo – but we never know when the first litter arrives! This year, a brave mum bear brought her three cubs to our bear watching place, Kuntilampi, on the 9th of June. Best news: the bear family has been visiting us every evening now for a week!
How’s Life for the Little Bear Cubs
The tiny bear cubs have been born in the winter den in January-February, so they are now less than 5 months old. They’re curious, adorable, and a bit foolish, learning new skills every day. Cubs learn everything from mum: what foods to find and where, how to stay safe, and how to behave when there might be other bears around. Whenever mum senses a threat (a raven calling for a bear, a scent of human or another bear approaching, etc.), it commands the cubs to climb a tree and will then protect the tree.
The little bear cubs learn to be alert at all times, so they’re standing up constantly to estimate dangers, as they can hear and smell better when standing. Cubs also run away easily, jump against trees when scared, and climb up if even more scared – and then return shyly and hesitantly to mum’s company. Their natural, jumpy behaviour creates memorable moments for bear watching and photography.
How to See the Bear Cubs in Finland
Midsummer is usually the best time to see the bear cubs in Finland, because by then the bear mating season ends, and females are brave enough to bring their cubs to our bear watching hides.
Our bear population is very human-shy, so if you want to see the bear cubs in a natural setting, booking a bear-watching evening (or whole night under midnight sun) is basically the only way to see them – unless you get extremely lucky while hiking. Most Finns have never seen a bear in nature – that tells you how much they avoid people. Mums are obviously even more skittish to protect their little ones.
We have three bear-watching sites near Lapland in northern Finland. By far, the bear family has only visited our main bear-watching site, Kuntilampi, where we have five bear hides.
We welcome you to Bear Kuusamo to see and photograph the bear cubs with us!