Valde Ranttila from Inari sees bears every spring, but he’s never seen one this big.
Ranttila works as a reindeer herder in Norway, just near the Finnish border. He received a report of a bear moving among a herd of grazing reindeer.
– In my lifetime I have seen many dozens of bears. It’s hard to describe how big this one was. I would say the size of a bull calf,” Ranttila describes.
The size of a bullfinch was twenty metres away
The spring sunshine blinded Ranttila’s eyes and it was difficult to see the surroundings. He didn’t even notice the bear in the bushes at first.
The distance between the man and the bear was about 20–30 meters.
– When you meet such a guy, you have to find respect. You can’t get too close, says Ranttila.
– While I prevented the bear from coming to the reindeer, I kept an eye out to make sure there were no tusks on the road in case I had to run away, he describes.
The first bears in Sámi wake up in April
– If you’ve eaten, there’s nothing you can do about it, he thinks.
At Ranttila, there would be enough bear stories to tell every hour, so many observations have accumulated over the years.
According to Ranttila, the sleep of the first bears in Saami will end right at the beginning of April.
Ranttila will probably have more stories to tell this spring as well. He thinks the number of bears has increased.
– Every reindeer herder who drives extensively in the forest will surely meet a bear at some point, says Ranttila.