Squirrel and deer live streams released for nature-loving Finns

The World Wide Fund for Nature has introduced new live camera streams to introduce nature lovers to the day-to-day activities of the flying squirrel and forest deer.
The new species will join the Saimaa ringed seal as part of WWF’s live television offering. A live stream of the seal — known popularly as Norppalive — attracted more than 225,000 views in 2016.
The new NatureLive (Luontolive) streams follow the overwhelming popularity of a previous slow-TV production that followed the antics of a Saimaa ringed seal known as Pullervo. The aim of the new live streams is to allow viewers to follow different species year-round.
“The flying squirrel and the forest deer are species that are rarely seen, and they have suffered immensely at the hands of forestry. We want to make them more familiar to everyone in Finland. During the test phase of filming, both species have shown up in the streams regularly,” WWF programme manager Petteri Tolvanen said in a statement.
The organisation said that it wanted to use the live streams to spread awareness about rare species and the threats they face.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada listed among threatened World Heritage Sites, Radio Canada International
Finland: Nature organisation aims to ‘rewild’ Finland, YLE News
Norway: Grouse declines lead to strict hunting regulations in Arctic Norway, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Roads deadly for reindeer in Arctic Sweden, Radio Sweden
Russia: More than 200 polar bears assembled on beach in Arctic Russia, Radio Sweden
United States: When Alaska fishing village residents can’t fish, normal life comes to an end, Alaska Dispatch News