Sipilä said that during his 40 years working for state-owned parks and wildlife management agency Metsähallitus, he has never seen such poor ice conditions in January.

Sixty-three endangered Saimaa ringed seal pups were found during the early spring count carried out by forestry workers and volunteers.

Fifty percent of Saimaa ringed seal pups born between the years of 2014-2017 entered the world in a snowdrift constructed by volunteers.

Recent heavy snowfall and large drifts have created ideal conditions for the dens where the endangered Saimaa ringed seal raise their young, and a record number of pups may be born this year. The freshwater Saimaa ringed seal is one of the most endangered seal species in the world.

Heavy snows over the weekend are likely to have saved up to half of the rare, endangered Saimaa seal pups being born this winter season from death by exposure or from predators.