While this means the human populace has to take a bit more time donning warmer clothes before heading out into the cold, spare a thought for the fauna of Estonia surviving in double-figure sub-zero temperatures.

In fact, this varies widely, from species that are already struggling to those that barely notice the dip in the mercury.

At least nature and the forest is this winter so far following a standard and "normal" winter rhythm, rather than the freeze-thaw-freeze seen in recent years.
Some species miss the bulk of it by hibernating, so people should keep quiet when out and about in the forest for one thing.

Karmel Ritson, chief specialist for animal rescue at the Environment Board (Keskkonnaamet), said there is hibernation, and then there is hibernation, depending on the type of animal and local conditions.

"At the moment, bats and hedgehogs are in true hibernation, that is, a state of torpor. Raccoon dogs, badgers and bears are in their winter dormancy. Many reptiles are also in hibernation," Ritson said. The latter would include the adders (Rästik) and grass snakes (Nastik) seen commonly in summer.

Bear woken up from hibernation when tree fellers

With the likely exception of Saaremaa, around a thousand bears nationwide are asleep, in scrapes, dens or even under tree stumps. Waking one up would help no one, which may seem common sense, but the board has already been notified of one bear that was woken up, due to nearby forestry work going on.

"This year, we received the first report at the Environmental Board where a bear's wintering site was disturbed during logging operations, and the mother bear left the den. In such situations, it is vital that this information is passed on to the Environmental Board, for example via the emergency center's national information phone line 1247. We can then place the wintering site under temporary protection until April 15," Ritson said, noting that doing so would ban both felling and hunting within a 300-meter radius.

Bears winter sleep is so deep that the female of the species can give birth during that time, only to finally awaken in spring to find a joyful surprise waiting for them.

"Bear cubs are indeed born while the mother bear herself is in winter hibernation, and this is completely normal. She more or less does not know that she has given birth until she comes out of hibernation, and then there are two rhythms in the den. There are the cubs, who are fully awake, growing and developing and feeding on their mother's milk, and then there is the mother bear, who is still sleeping her winter sleep," Ritson described.

For those animals that do not hibernate, such as ungulates (hoofed animals such as deer and boar), though they can cope, the snow makes access to food harder. For this reason, some hunters actually deposit food for the very animals they could one day be culling.

"We have already taken food into the forest. Mainly carrots and potatoes for deer, hay and silage for roe deer, of course. Roe deer may already be struggling, because there is a crust between two layers of snow and that damages their legs. It is important for roe deer to be able to lie down on the ground, because they should not sleep on snow. Otherwise, all sorts of pneumonia and illnesses can develop," said Meelis Kaare, chairman of the hunting society in Aste, in south-central Saaremaa.

While due to the moderating influence of the sea, Saaremaa and the other islands often see milder temperatures than the mainland, they too have been experiencing sub-zero values in recent weeks.

All wildlife-related issues can be reported to the national info line on 1247. Operators speak English.

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