Tallinn home to exceptionally high numbers of wild animals

Text Mark Taylor
Photo Andrei Chertkov

According to a 5-year study conducted by Elusloodus OÜ, the city of Tallinn is unique in the whole of Europe when it comes to the number and diversity of animals found in the city. The city is home to more than 30 moose, as well as beavers, and even the occasional lynx and bear.

The results of a five-year study commissioned by the City of Tallinn into wildlife in the city have now been published. The survey identified more than 20 different mammal species in the city.

“These are significant figures for a country’s capital. What is particularly remarkable, however, is that this capital has a permanent population of 20-30 moose and more than 300 roe deer, ” the authors stated.

Unusually for a European capital, the city is home to a population of 20-30 beavers, around 50 mountain hares and badgers.

The city is also home to larger animals, including around 30 moose that live permanently in the city (most predominantly in the Pirita district of the city) and a further 20 who sometimes enter the city limits. Approximately 350 roe deer call the city their home too.

The study found that the occasional bear and lynx also appear in the city. The former spotted in Kakumäe and the latter occasionally venturing inside city boundaries to hunt and their mark territory.

No grey wolves were found in the city or passing through during the period of the study. However, the city is home to up to 200 foxes as well as 5 golden jackals.

In addition, the study found approximately 15 wild boars living in the city’s green areas, and expects these numbers to rise in the coming years as the population begins to recover from outbreaks of disease.

“All of this indicates that Tallinn has by no means lost the opportunity to be a so-called nature city in addition to being a country’s capital, where city dwellers can live together with diverse mammalian fauna”, the study noted.

In total, around a third of Estonia’s mammal species can be found in Tallinn.

Source ERR 

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