Wildlife expert: No large wild animal in Estonia seeks to attack humans
Peep Männil, a wildlife expert at the Environmental Agency, says that estimating the numbers of large carnivores involves drones, trail cameras, tracking signs, observations and bioacoustics. No large wild animal in Estonia seeks out humans, he adds.
"It is possible to estimate the numbers of large carnivores, but directly counting the animals is not. Most of them are also nocturnal. The only large wild animal counted individually is the grey seal. This is possible because in spring and summer they gather for molting, and drones can count them one by one," explained Männil, senior specialist and wolf researcher at the Environmental Agency.
Monitoring methods for land‑dwelling wild animals rely on counting activity signs or selecting a specific group within the population — for example, females with offspring, who are fewer and easier to count, Männil noted.
Counts of large carnivores — wolves, lynxes, bears and jackals — are based on observations. "These are incidental observations," Männil added. "Hunters have been required for years to collect certain data. Monitoring is divided into two parts: hunters gather the initial data, and the Environmental Agency compiles and analyzes it."
Some areas may be left out of observations, Männil said. For example, no observations are conducted in protected areas.
The Environmental Agency also collects its own data, especially concerning wolves. "Wolves have very high reproductive potential, and their numbers can change significantly within a year. We have quite a few trail cameras out and also use baiting for both wolves and jackals," Männil said. "Bioacoustics is the main method across Europe."
"For ungulates, we also conduct pellet counts, and hunters carry out winter tracking counts," he added.
"No large wild animal in Estonia seeks out humans. Large animals have a strong fear of humans, so it doesn't happen. In our nature, the creatures that 'seek' humans are small insects — horseflies, ticks and mosquitoes," Männil pointed out. "A mother bear may attack to protect her cubs, and then it's best to retreat. Usually these incidents happen because neither the human nor the bear notices the other until the distance is extremely small."
The highest‑risk period is early spring, when cubs are small and cannot yet follow their mother. "The same can happen with wild boars — a sow may attack if her piglets are in the nest," Männil said. "Generally, animals hear humans coming from far away and move off long before the person arrives."
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Editor: Annika Remmel, Argo Ideon
Source: ERR interview by Krista Taim
