Endangered Finnish seals go online to show plight

LAKE SAIMAA, Finland — Wildlife conservationists in Finland are giving endangered seals a spot of online fame by streaming encounters with some of the few hundred remaining mammals in a bid to raise awareness of their plight.

The Saimaa ringed seal, named after their home in Europe’s fourth-largest lake, is found only in these waters and is one of just five remaining freshwater seal species in the world.

But milder winters have left few shoreline snow banks for the seals to burrow into lairs where they give birth to pups, and many get caught in fishing nets.

During the next few weeks, viewers can tune into the seal watch stream known as “Norppa Live,” from the Finnish name for seal.

Often the seals are difficult to spot, lying motionless on the smooth rounded rocks they resemble. Sometimes all you can see is just an empty rock.

The seal pups, with their furry heads, often find rocks sheltered by tall reeds near the shoreline.

Other, bigger specimens, sprawl out like lumps of soft rock, unaware of the hidden camera.

Last year a male seal became so popular that thousands of people sent in suggestions to name him — the winner was Pullervo, which referred to his “chubby” shape.

As word has spread about the seals’ plight, conservationists again expect millions of viewers to tune in hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the remaining 360 Saimaa seals — according to the latest count by Parks and Wildlife Finland.

Although the seals have a fairly carefree existence in the sprawling labyrinth of waterways that make up Lake Saimaa, dotted with more than 1,300 islands, there is one real threat — fishing nets.

WWF Finland launched the live stream — wwf.fi/ en/norppalive/ — last week.

ISMO MARTTINEN/AP The Lake Saimaa ringed seal is found only in these waters and is one of just five remaining freshwater seal species.