Swedish reindeer herders are annoyed by Finnish sledders driving off the trails. Legislation regarding snowmobiling is broader than in Finland.
The livelihood of the Swedish reindeer herders is disturbed by the Finnish snowmobile fraudsters, who drive off-piste outside the routes.
Mats Eliasson says that on the Swedish side near the border Finnish snowmobilers are a nuisance, especially in the Muodoslompolo area.
– Steep ridges, where even reindeer thrive, are used for frolicking, says Eliasson.
According to Eliasson, the frolic of sledders in the terrain outside the trails has spooked the grazing reindeer.
The sleds also leave hard ruts in the terrain, along which the reindeer travel up to tens of kilometers away. Reindeer herders have trouble when they have to retrieve the reindeer.
Sleds rented from Finnish downhill centers
According to Eliasson’s information, sledders often come from central and southern Finland. Many of them have rented their sleds from fell centers, for example from Levi, from where the trip to the Swedish border is about 70 kilometers. The sledders transport the sled in a car trailer to Sweden.
– They have received instructions that you can sled more freely in Sweden, claims Eliasson.
However, Eliasson says that he does not want to start blaming individual companies.
One of the entrepreneurs renting snowmobiles in Levi is Immelkartano Esko Takkunen.
The sleds rented by Takkunen’s company can only be ridden on routes. Takkunen says that when leaving the area of Kittilä municipality, sled renters drive at their own risk.
He says that it is generally known to self-made sledders that the legislation in Sweden is more lax.
According to Takkunen’s information, sledders often go sledding to Sweden near the northern Norwegian border. However, he has not heard that sledders have gone to the Swedish side near Muonio.
Also on the Finnish side, Enontekiö has had problems during the early winter with driving outside the ruts, which has disturbed the reindeer, says a special expert on land use Elina Odé Metsähallitus’ nature services.
The off-road permit of the municipalities of Inari, Utsjoki and Enontekiö has been increasingly used for cross-country driving in closed snow and on fells.
In Sweden, sledding is more free than in Finland
In Sweden, sledding in the terrain is basically allowed, while in Finland, riding outside the sledding trails basically requires the landowner’s permission.
However, even in Sweden, snowmobiling is not everyone’s right, and it is not allowed to ride in all areas of the country.
There are also exceptions. For example, at the request of Sámi villages, temporary bans on snowmobiling can be declared. Prohibitions may be valid, for example, in spring in reindeer herding areas. Left-wing areas are areas that female reindeer, i.e. vagrants, prefer for giving birth.
However, there are currently no bans in effect in the Muodoslompolo area.
The foaling season is only in May, but according to Eliasson, the vaiks, or female reindeer, are at their most sensitive right now, when the fetuses have started to develop.
– It can lead to miscarriage, Eliasson describes the effects of stress on reindeer.
Muodoslompolo belongs to Pajala municipality. Development director of the municipality Fredrik Holmström states that reindeer husbandry is an important livelihood, and it should be taken into account when sledding. He advises sledders to be patient, so that the free-moving reindeer are not stressed, and they do not move along the ruts left by the sleds.
– You should go around the reindeer or stop and wait for them to pass, says Fredrik Holmström.
You can also be fined for scaring and disturbing reindeer according to the Swedish Reindeer Management Act.
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