A hunting accident leading to the death of a person happened in Urho Kekkonen national park on Saturday. A statement from the police regarding the accident (poliisi.fi, in Finnish).
Many planning a trip are now wondering if it is still safe to visit the national parks or other nature destinations.
The accident is very rare. According to our information, anything similar has never happened before in any national park. It is still very safe to travel in nature.
Why is it possible to hunt in national parks?
According to the Finnish hunting legislation, it is mainly possible for locals of the northernmost areas to hunt on the lands owned by the Finnish state without a special hunting permit, this also includes the national parks in accordance with the rules of the national park. More information of hunting in Finland (eraluvat.fi).
Hunting permits are not sold to the Finnish national parks or strict nature reserves, apart from the outermost areas of Selkämeri national park where hunting of four species of waterfowl is permitted. In the national parks in the southern parts of Finland, hunting can in some cases be approved of with a special permit and in some of the national parks in the outer archipelago limited hunting is permitted in accordance with the establishing enactment of national parks.
The accident happened in a remote zone of the national park
The hunting accident happened in a remote zone of the national park, belonging to the Savukoski municipality. The surface area of the national park is 2550 square kilometres, in other words, 1000 square kilometres larger than the Åland Islands. The length of the park is at the longest 100 kilometres long and at the widest 50 kilometres wide.
Urho Kekkonen national park was last year visited by 367 000 visitors. Only a small part of these visited the most remote areas of the national park in the Savukoski municipality.
Metsähallitus presents its sincere condolence to the family of the victim.