Eurasian Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) - a photo on Flickriver

            Even though I continue to have conflicting feelings about commercial photography hides, to me, it was a great experience. This hide owner used small pieces of meat and fish for baiting in order to keep animals still hunting and finding their normal meals from the wilderness. It seems like they knew exactly where the food was placed, conveniently close to a photography range. Unfortunately, some paid hide operators use live bait to attract the wild predators, which is greatly unethical, and I would NEVER, EVER support that! It is important to do extensive research before you commit to one of these commercial hides. I believe, as a wildlife photographer, we should always use moral and ethical approach, never putting any image over the animals' welfare! That goes to commercial photography hide operators as well! When this is done right, in my opinion, it can be an excellent tool in many aspects and bring nature to us.

Several years ago, I solo hiked for days in rugged, beautiful Finnish Lapland, close to Russian border. Sleeping in wilderness huts for nights and hiking by days without seeing a single human being. To my disappointment, I didn't see a single bear, wolf, lynx or wolverine either. Only reindeer, a lot of reindeer! I was in the bear country, and they would have been actively foraging to put up the weight for the winter. Surely, on the other hand, they knew I am close by and left the area way before I could spot them, leaving fresh scat for me to know I am in their home.

I recently came across one of the most compelling numbers from 2023. It compared the total weight of all mammals on earth, and wild mammals are just 4%. Of which roughly half are the marine mammals and mere 2% are wild land mammals! Livestock make up 62% of the world's mammal biomass and humans account for 34%.

Taken on: September 15, 2024

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Sets appears in: • Finland • Wildlife

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