Animal tourism in Finland is expanding rapidly, from petting farms in the south to sled dog businesses in Lapland, but researchers warn that the growth of the sector is making animal welfare increasingly difficult to monitor. More than 200 petting zoos are now registered across the country, while the number of sled dog kennels has also risen in recent years, according to Yle.
The expansion reflects growing demand for experiences that bring visitors into direct contact with animals. Researchers, however, say that commercial pressure can create incentives to prioritise visitor numbers and revenues over the needs of the animals involved.
More than 200 petting zoos operate in Finland
Finland now has more than 200 registered petting zoos, according to the Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto). There are also dozens of other farms and animal attractions that are not included in that figure.
The number has increased particularly since Finland’s new Animal Welfare Act entered into force in 2024. Petting zoos no longer require the type of permit previously needed to establish them.
They are not entirely unregulated. Operators must notify the Finnish Food Authority at least 30 days before starting their activities and provide information including the species and number of animals, their living conditions, the competence of those responsible for them and how their care will be organised. Municipal veterinarians are responsible for supervising compliance with animal welfare legislation.
A permit remains necessary when businesses display animal species that are not included among those allowed in petting zoos.
One of the new businesses is Parsi, an animal farm in Haukivuori, part of the city of Mikkeli in eastern Finland. Panu and Katja Immonen opened their farm to visitors for the first time this summer.
The family keeps around 50 animals, including cattle, alpacas, ponies, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. The first season attracted around 1,500 visitors, with an average of about 70 people a day.
Why animal tourism is becoming more popular
Linda Tallberg, a university lecturer at the University of Lapland, told Yle that visitors are increasingly seeking connections with nature and animals.
But she argues that encounters should also help people understand animals and their needs rather than simply provide entertainment.
“Guidance is important, because animal signals are often difficult to interpret correctly,” Tallberg told Yle.
That requires operators to consider not only how visitors interact with animals but also how long animals are exposed to them. At Parsi, Katja Immonen is already considering shortening the farm’s six-hour opening period next summer to reduce the potential burden on the animals.
The family also plans to require children entering enclosures to be accompanied by a guardian after its first season showed that visitors sometimes needed guidance on how to behave around the animals.
Sled dog tourism raises particular welfare concerns
Researchers are especially concerned about the expansion of sled dog tourism in Lapland, where kennels have multiplied alongside the region’s tourism industry.
Postdoctoral researcher Mikko Äijälä told Yle that the growth of tourism can attract operators whose primary motivation is financial.
“If companies are in it for the money, animal welfare is not central to their operations,” he said.
According to Yle’s reporting, supervisory veterinarians in Lapland have repeatedly identified problems at sled dog businesses, while police have investigated cases involving poor treatment of dogs and safaris operated on unauthorised routes.
Sled dog kennels in Lapland are generally inspected by supervisory veterinarians once every one or two years. Äijälä argues that this is insufficient given the speed at which the number of animal attractions is growing.
He said veterinary authorities do not currently have enough resources to match the expansion of the sector.
Animal tourism certification remains limited
For tourists, determining in advance how a business treats its animals can be difficult. Information may be available through company websites, photographs, social media or instructions for visitors, but Finland does not have a welfare certification covering every form of animal tourism.
The Green Activities sustainability programme currently includes specific animal welfare criteria for businesses working with sled dogs and reindeer. According to Visit Finland, it is the only Nordic tourism certification programme containing dedicated welfare criteria for these tourism animals.
Tallberg and Äijälä would like similar certification to become available to other businesses involving animals.
Äijälä, who works as an external auditor for Green Activities, argues that certification should impose standards that go beyond the minimum requirements of animal welfare legislation and treat animals as valuable participants in tourism activities rather than simply as attractions.
Among the principles he identifies are access to adequate food and water, opportunities for species-typical behaviour, sufficient rest away from customers and properly trained staff. Visitors should also receive clear instructions on how to interact with animals.
The growth of animal tourism in Finland is therefore creating both new business opportunities and new questions about oversight. As more farms, kennels and experience providers bring animals into the tourism economy, researchers argue that regulation, inspections and voluntary certification will need to develop alongside the sector if its expansion is not to come at the expense of the animals themselves.
