The police thought it likely that the same deer would have been the subject of a subsequent police operation, but injured.
A police decision to cull a deer in Tampere has attracted criticism on social media.
In Tampere, an animal resembling a reindeer was seen in the middle of the busy Lielahti shopping area at the end of Easter.
According to the police, the animal was agitated and was moving in an area with heavy traffic. The police patrol said they had put the animal down for safety reasons, as it could not be driven off despite attempts.
The police said in a press release that the animal was later identified as a forest deer. The police received many inquiries on the subject and further clarified the matter.
The police stated in the bulletin sent out on Wednesday that killing the animal is always the last resort. Before doing so, the police assesses the risk posed by the animal to the safety of people, and primarily tries to expel the animal safely from the place.
According to the police, the decision to euthanize the animal was based on an overall assessment, which was made based on the detailed information in the situation.
According to the police, it was unfortunate that the animal had gotten lost in the traffic.
\”Such a decision is not made lightly, but it was likely that at some point the same forest deer would have been the target of a police mission, but injured and possibly causing other damage, for example crashes,\” the release explains.
The police are reminded that according to the Police Act, a policeman has the right to arrest and, as a last resort, kill an animal that causes danger to human life or health, or considerable damage to property, or seriously endangers traffic.
The deer was from Seitsemise
– It’s difficult to distinguish them further away without binoculars.
The forest deer shot in Tampere’s Lielahti was a moose born in the spring of 2021 at Seitseminen’s training nursery. Red deer can travel up to tens of kilometers per day, and winter pastures can be located hundreds of kilometers away from summer areas.
Niemi does not comment on the police’s decision.
– The police have used their discretion in the situation. I have no information about the course of events, so it is impossible to comment on whether the solution was a mistake or not.
– The police should have better capabilities to take nature into account than at present
According to Haataja, the termination decision should be the last option, when the species has been reliably identified and all other means have been used.
Haataja hopes that the Police Board will address the issue and that the police will receive more training.
Haatajaa justifies this with the fact that a rare golden jackal was shot in Sodankylä
An endangered species
Red deer is a subspecies of deer found only in Finland and Russia. It is currently classified in Finland as something to watch out for.
Red deer expert Milla Niemi says that distinguishing between red deer and reindeer is often difficult, especially in fast situations and when there is no reference point available.
Forest deer live only in Finland and northwestern Russia. The size of the world population is estimated to be around 5,000 animals. In Finland, about 2,000 forest deer were found in Suomenselka and 830–850 in Kainuu during the last winter census. Seitemi and Lauhanvuori have a few dozen forest deer each.
– Even a professional can’t necessarily tell from close up whether it’s a reindeer or a forest deer.
Lappalainen does not comment on the decision to terminate the police.
– The police themselves comment on their own matters.
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