Hello, Adorable Seal Pups: Record Number Born in 2022

Conservation efforts to save one of Finland’s highly-endangered and much-loved seal species have paid off since there was a record number of births in 2022, bringing it to an estimated 440 Saimaa ringed seals across the Scandinavian country.

“One hundred pups is a ten out of ten result,” states Miina Auttila, a nature conservation specialist. “This record-breaking birth rate can be explained by females being in healthy condition and the increase in individuals surviving to reproductive age.”

The count has been organized by Metsähallitus, Finland’s state-owned wildlife agency. With 100 pups, it is the highest yearly figure since Saimaa seal births have been recorded. In the Pihlajavesi area of the Saimaa Lake region, the ringed seal population is especially higher than anywhere else in the country, following a steady growth over recent years. The latest birth census is proof that the conservation effort to protect and replenish the Saimaa seal population is working.