The Wild Forest Reindeer disappeared from Finland in the beginning of the 1900s for decades. In 1979, two males and eight females were transferred from Kuhmo, and since then the population of the Wild Forest Reindeer has increased in Suomenselkä area to over 2000 individuals.

The Wild forest reindeer, Rangifer tarandus fennicus, is a subspecies of reindeer native to Finland and the northern hemisphere. It is found only in Finland and northwestern Russia. The Finnish forest reindeer is aptly named, as over half of the approximately 5,000 individuals in the world live in Finland.
One of the most significant game animals of the past was hunted to extinction in Finland about a hundred years ago. However, the species returned from beyond the eastern border after the wars, and a reintroduction effort in the early 1980s expanded its range from Kainuu to Suomenselkä.
A female wild forest reindeer gives birth to only one calf per year, so the growth potential of the forest reindeer population is small compared to our other deer species.
In summer, the forest reindeer and their calves graze as small groups at the mires of the park. In autumn, they wander westwards as herds to their winter pastures outside the national park. They return to the park in spring to fawn.
If you are lucky, you may spot the Wild Forest Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus) on the hiking trails of the national park.

Metsähallitus systematically works on the conservation and management of the wild forest reindeer population. Since 2016, Metsähallitus has been responsible for safeguarding the genetic heritage of the wild forest reindeer, which practically means preventing the hybridization of forest reindeer and domestic reindeer. WildForestReindeerLIFE project (2016–2023) (metsa.fi), coordinated by Metsähallitus Wildlife Services, has implemented various measures benefiting the forest reindeer population, the most visible of which has been the reintroduction of wild forest reindeer.

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