Visitor Centre Carnivore

Provided by:

Polar Park

In the main building of the Polar Park you will find our exhibition. Here you get an exciting insight into the mysterious world of predators. The exhibition will be updated and re-opens in january 2026. About us: The Visitor Center Carnivore Bardu is a center for anyone who wants to learn more about and be inspired by predators in Norwegian nature. The center was founded in Polar Park in 2015 and is a government-authorized visitor center operated by the independent foundation “Rovdyrsenter Bardu”. We work to impart knowledge about natural and cultural values to young and old and offer visitors a comprehensive and neutral knowledge base about the “Big Four” predators: bears, wolves, lynxes and wolverines, as well as golden eagles.

Audio guides available in:

Italiano, 日本語, Norsk bokmål, Français, English (British), Deutsch , 中文

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Points of interest

#1

Visitor Center Carnivore

Audio guides available in:

English (British), Norsk bokmål, Deutsch

#2

The wolverine- adapted to a life in cold and snow

This text was translated from Norwegian by artificial intelligence. You are now standing in front of the Wolverine installation. Here you see an adult male wolverine standing on a crag next to a dead reindeer calf. The wolverine is widespread in northern parts of Eurasia and North America and thrives in forest, mountain and tundra landscapes, preferably far away from human activity. The habitat of the wolverine overlaps with the habitat of the reindeer and animals with low weight or poor condition are easy prey for the predators. Although the Wolverine is capable of hunting animals 13 times its own size, it is best known for feeding on already dead animals. A so-called "Scavenger". It is constantly on the move and often follows other predators to feed on the remains. When an opportunity arises, the food is hoarded for later use. The food is broken up into smaller pieces and hidden in snow glaciers or stone urns, but is also buried in bogs, streams and damp areas which are sought out for a long time afterwards and ensure survival through the winter. The food is moved over short and long distances to the storage areas. The wolverine uses a lot of energy for this, but it enables it to distribute its food supply throughout the year. Takes a look in window 2 to see the wolverine's food supply. The wolverine is a "marten" and adapted to a life underground. A den, well hidden in a rock face and under deep snow, is the birthplace of the cubs. See window 1. A Wolverine mother usually gives birth to 2-3 cubs in February/March. They weigh around 80-90g and are around 12 cm long and have white fur. They receive mother's milk and after around 10 weeks they have reached a weight of approx. 3 kg. Then they are ready for solid food. The mother wolverine raises the cubs alone, which makes the cubs particularly vulnerable to enemies when the mother is hunting for food. The male squirrel is the biggest enemy of the cubs, and seeks out the den when the mother has left. A wolverine mother does not give birth every year, this often depends on age and access to food. The wolverine has powerful jaws and can crush thick bones and frozen meat. In window 3 you can see a real skull of the wolverine. The iron wires show how big the muscles are. On the top of the head and in the cheeks, they mostly serve to bite hard and hold on to the prey. The background image shows the footprint of a wolverine with a front foot on the right and a hind foot on the left. It is the tread pads on the underside of the paw that make the main impression. The surrounding fur creates the outline of the paw. On the mounted wolverine paw, the fur on the underside is clipped to show the tread pads. The wolverine is an animal that people rarely see. For some, the animal is completely unknown. In Northern Norway, the Wolves have always had an affinity. Take a look at Window 4. Here you see the wolverine in arms for Bardu Municipality, the municipality you are in. Here the wolverine has always been part of nature and stands symbolically for strength and continuity. The first permanent residents came in 1791 from Gudbrandsdalen in southern Norway. The house you see is similar to the first house that was built. Altogether there were around 20 permanent residents in 1791. Today, the Municipality has around 4,000 inhabitants.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, Deutsch , English (British), 中文, 日本語, Italiano, Français

#3

Exhibition: Wolverine

This text was translated from Norwegian by AI. Various relatives Badger, otter, mink, marten and snow mouse. All of them are relatives of the wolverine in the diverse marten family. Perfumer The wolverine leaves its scent wherever it goes. From the mountains to the forests The wolverine is found in forest, mountain and tundra landscapes in Eurasia and North America. In Norway, the wolverine is primarily associated with mountain areas, preferably far away from human activity. Following the reindeer The distribution of the wolverine coincides with the distribution of the reindeer. In Norway we have both wild reindeer (live completely freely) and domestic reindeer (are used to humans (domesticated animals). Live freely in the mountains, but under human control). The wolverine is constantly on the move. It is known to wander far and has large habitats.

Audio guides available in:

English (British), Deutsch

#4

Exhibition: Brown bear

Where does the bear lives? The bear is a forest animal and can be found in several locations in Norway along the border with Sweden. You can find out more about the bear’s distribution on this page. In Norway, the bear is found in areas next to the Swedish, Finnish and Russian borders. Norway has what are called bear management areas. These are areas where the bear will be given priority over other interests, such as grazing and hunting. It is worth remembering that these are the areas with she-bears, whereas male bears can pop up anywhere in the country. This is because male bears, and young males in particular, roam over large distances. Was it a bear? When you find tracks in the forest, it is not always easy to know what sort of animal made them. On this page, we take a closer look at tracks and traces left by bears! Bear droppings, or scat, vary according to what the bear has eaten. Bears do not have very good digestion, so whole berries, plant residues, ants, hair and bits of bone can often be seen. What does the bear eat? The bear is quite similar to us humans in terms of it’s diet, as it is able to eat both meat and plants. Animals with such a diet are called omnivores. What the bear eats varies according to the season. In the early spring, it eats the carcasses of animals that have died during the winter. When the ant hills start to wake up, the bear will eat large quantities of ants. Grass and herbs are important in early summer, while in late summer and autumn blueberries are the main food source. A bear can eat 90 litres of blueberries in the course of a day. FEAR OF BEARS When the bear began to return, many people living in areas with bears felt afraid. This is not surprising, of course. After all, the bear is a large animal. After having no bears for so long, we had forgotten how bears behave. When they returned, they were unfamiliar to us. It is a a trait for us humans to be a little more afraid of the unfamiliar. After some time, however, we often see people living in areas with bears becoming slightly less afraid as they discover that the bear is not as aggressive as first feared. WHY DO BEARS ATTACK? It is not unknown for individual bears to attack people. This typically happens when a bear feels threatened in some way. In most cases, the bear was shot at first and therefor had a reason to defend itself. Such cases usually involve hunters with dogs coming across a male bear. And if you have a weapon, the obvious thing to do is defend yourself against the large animal. However, experience shows that this can be a bad idea. WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU MEET A BEAR? Meeting a bear is normally undramatic. Just like other animals, the bear will usually run off when it notices you. The bear has a good sense of smell and is able to scent hikers from a long way off. This means that the bear generally runs away before you even know it’s there. If you are moving quietly and downwind, you may on very rare occasions encounter a bear. So what should you do if you meet a bear? 1) Talk to the bear: Make human sounds so that the bear knows there is a human around 2) Stay calm: Try to stay calm. Pay attention to what is happening. 3) Withdraw: If you feel unsafe, withdraw slowly. If you follow these three pieces of advice, you can expect the bear to run away quickly, leaving you to continue your hike.

Audio guides available in:

English (British), Deutsch , 日本語

#5

Exhibition: Lynx

What does the lynx eat? The lynx is a skilled hunter and hunts a lot of different prey. Hares, forest birds and foxes can be the lynx's prey, but it's most important prey animals are roe deer in the south and reindeer in the north. The lynx can also kill sheep and reindeer, especially lambs and calves. Where does the lynx live? The lynx is a forest animal that is found in most of the country with the exception of West Norway. Lynx like to live on steep hillsides and inaccessible places but can also be found not far from where we live. How does the lynx live? The lynx lives and hunts alone but has to meet other lynx in order to mate and the female lynx has to raise the young. Although lynx have to interact with other lynx at times, they are regarded as solitary, meaning that they live alone.

Audio guides available in:

English (British), Deutsch

#6

Exhibition: Wolves

Forbidden hunting Wolves can reproduce and spread quickly, which is regulated by hunting. Wolves in Norway are protected and officially not allowed to be hunted. Nevertheless, wolves are shot illegally. Progenitor of dogs All dogs are descended from wolves. Domestication sometimes dates back to 30,000 years ago. Clear signals Wolves are pack animals and live in a “social construct”. This requires good and clear communication through body language, sounds and scents. Moose hunter The main food of wolves in Norway is moose. These are hunted in packs. A pack here usually consists of 6-8 wolves and kills around 100 elk over the course of a year.

Audio guides available in:

Deutsch , English (British)

Visitor Centre Carnivore

Points of interest