Moose Safari is a one-man show—just me, Joni Valkila. (And in case you're wondering—Joni is a man's name in Finland, even though it’s often a woman’s name in the English-speaking world.)

You may have heard the news: 96% of the total mammal biomass on Earth consists of humans and domesticated animals. Only 4% are wild mammals, and an even smaller fraction of those are large. That’s what happens when one species escapes the struggles of predation, starvation, disease, and parasites.

It wasn’t always this way. Just a few thousand years ago—a blink of an eye in the planet’s history—the world was teeming with wildlife. Elephants of all kinds roamed five continents, rhinos wandered through Europe, and giant predators shaped ecosystems. Today, seeing a wild, large animal is a rare experience almost anywhere on Earth. But when it happens, it’s magical.

That’s where I come in. My job is to bring that magic to visitors in Helsinki. Surprisingly, many large wild animals can still be found near the city. Welcome to the Serengeti of the North, where you can feel a little less alone on a planet that has lost so many of its giants.

I’ll tell you more when we meet. Looking forward to sharing a safari with you!

(P.S. I don’t always wear a suit, but this was the best recent photo I had!)