Katkavaara – Visit Ranua Arctic Wildlife Park

Visit the most northern zoo in the world with a local guide and see many animals living in the arctic areas. Ranua Wildlife Park offers tourists and nearby inhabitants the opportunity to observe arctic animals throughout the year, in an as authentic environment for the animals as possible. Ranua Wildlife Park is open every day of the year, and the changing seasons do bring their own additional dimension to the life in the park.

The park animals consist of approximately 50 wild animal species and 200 individuals. In the zoo, it is possible to see only polar bears in Finland and many other animals like bears, reindeers, wolves, gluttons, lynxes, moose and birds.

In the summer, there is also a domestic animal park in the park grounds. Ranua Wildlife Park is Lapland’s leading tourist attraction for families.There is a possibility to have lunch in zoo’s restaurant (not included). You can also visit souvenir shops, wine shop or sweet shop.

Already on the way to the zoo there is a chance to see beautiful nature and maybe some reindeers. Tickets, transfers, guiding, all equipment, winter clothes and boots are included.

Here are some examples of the animals in Ranua zoo:

Grey wolf- The grey wolf lives wherever its main source of food, deer, live. As a timid animal, the wolf appreciates wide, peaceful wilderness, but as humans spread deeper into the woods, the wolves have also had to adapt to the presence of man. Unfortunately, some individual young wolves have even learned to search for food in yards and pastures. The wolf is a night-active animal, and the most typical way for it to find food is to hunt in packs for moose. A pack of wolves consists of a dominant male and a female (the so-called alpha pair) and their young offspring. However, most of the wolves in Finland live the life of a solitary wanderer, even though for them as well the ultimate goal must be finding a partner and a suitable habitat.

Red fox – Habitat and behaviour: The red fox is a very adaptable and clever animal, and it is found in all kinds of habitats all the way from the coasts to the mountains. Foxes thrive wherever they can find food at the time. The fox is active mainly at night and during twilight, but if necessary, it can be seen searching for food or members of the opposite sex also during the day.

Arctic fox – Arctic foxes live in the northern mountain areas. The arctic fox, which is active during twilight, usually lives alone or together with its mate.

Raccoon dog – The raccoon dog prefers to live in broad-leaved or mixed forests. The dense undergrowth not only conceals potential nutrition, but also provides protection to raccoon dog cubs that pad along on their short legs. The raccoon dog is a night-active animal that, when foraging, digs around for example in garbage heaps right next to human habitation.

Polar bear – Polar bears live on the coasts of arctic regions and on the frozen expanses of the northern seas. The polar bear lives a solitary life, with the exception of the female that travels with its cubs. Unlike the northern brown bear, the polar bear does not hibernate but remains active throughout the year. Some polar bears spend their summer following the retreating sea ice and hunting seal, some spend the summer on dry land where the food is scarcer, using the fat deposits they have built up during the winter.

Brown bear – The Finnish brown bear lives mainly in conifer forests. The brown bear, which is active during twilight, can also be seen searching for food during the day. Brown bears are usually solitary. The male and the female spend time together during mating season in the summer, and the mother usually lives with its growing cubs until the next litter is born.

Wolverine – The wolverine lives in conifer forests and mountain areas. Wolverines are extremely mobile; the weasel has a large habitat and can travel up to 50km in a day. The solitary wolverine is active mainly during twilight.

European mink – The European mink lives by waters and favours smaller, hard-bedded streams. The night-active mink is an excellent swimmer and mainly lives alone outside the mating season.

Lynx – Lynxes habit many different types of environments, excluding mountain areas and flat coasts of Ostrobothnia. Their prey animals, hares and white-tailed deer, thrive primarily in broad-leaved and mixed forests, on the edges of fields and in shrubs. Consequently, these areas are also preferred by the lynx that is active at dawn and at dusk.

Starts at 9 am. Barbeque lunch is included.