I'm Johanna Vaisanen, 25 year old
student from Kuopio, Finland. I was born in Pori, on the west coast of Finland on the 28th
April 1975. More details in my Curriculum Vitae. Welcome to my homepage! Here
you can find a little information about me; my past, present and
future interests and
inspirations as well as my hobbies by following some of the
links in the end of this page.
I'm Johanna Vaisanen, 25 year old
student from Kuopio, Finland. I was born in Pori, on the west coast of Finland on the 28th
April 1975. More details in my Curriculum Vitae.
I started my studies at the University of Kuopion in the Department of Applied Zoology, presently known as an Institute of Applied Biotechnology, in 1995. How I ended up there is a long but inevitable sequence of incidences.
Animals and nature were apparently close to my heart, as you can see from this photo collection, since a little kid. So, I guess that my destiny was quite early determined. As a two year old I was found running away with granny's cat, who was heading to the forest to catch some voles. When I reached the age of five my daddy made me my own butterfly net and that is how my interest in insects began. I still wonder the skill I reached in catching and drying those little creatures and how I effortlessly could memorize hundreds of different species, some of them even in latin. This enthusiasm continued two summers, followed by interest in birds as well. Later on, when I started my grammar school, my mother got some heart attacks after having found birds and kittens from our kitchen and tripped on piles of books about dogs. After having turned eight I got my own fish tank and there was an intensive 12 year long period when "multiplying" aquariums filled our house besides few cats...I developed a an addiction to breeding some fish species including guppies, platys, Pelvicachromis pulcher, Oreochromis bimaculatus, a few species, which belong to the genera Barbus, Chichlasoma meeki, Chichlasomaseverum and other South American cichlids which were closest to my heart and many many more. I also was one of those girls, who were hanging around in the horse stalls and I insisted to get to the riding lessons. Horses were the greatest thing I had my life as a teenager, but unfortunately I had to give up riding after few years because I got a serious eye disease. It was sad but I recovered.
After graduating from the High School of Kallavesi in the spring of 1994 it was not actually clear to me where I wanted to continue my studies. It took me one year to find out where to apply. That year felt like a waste of time because I had never been too inactive student. That was the year, though, when I found miniature poodles, which have been the uppermost thing in my life ever since. The thing, that has helped me to relax and concentrate my studies with the best extent.
Here You can see my both poodle bitches
and you can follow this link to view my kennel Woolly Bohemia's
web site.
During the first year of study it became
clearer and clearer that ethology was the kind of field of study
I wanted to concentrate on. I found wildlife behavioural ecology
very intriguing, but domestic animal welfare and behavioural
issues were another thing that draw my attention more and
more towards itself. That was the time when "fur girl"
activists made themselves commonly known in the finnish media
after having released silver foxes and minks from fur farms and
by causing trouble in the National Animal Testing Center in
Kuopio by stealing animals from animal houses. That was also the
time when I painfully got aware of some neglects that were
happening in certain dog kennels in our country known for
high standard show dogs.
Little by little I started to look for a suitable research topic to do my final pro-gradu study about. I wanted desperately it to be about domestic animals and their behaviour. Farm animals are important for our agriculture and they are an essential source of our everyday nutrition as well. These animals face the conflict between economic productivity and question of their well being. Domestic animals are therefore a major ethical issue. Instead of radical animal liberation and aggressive demonstrations we have to know scientifically what is really best for these animals. We can not do it without studying and observing their behaviour, which hopefully will give us means to evaluate their stress and welfare and modify the production conditions towards more optimal ones. These are animals we need and that is why we have to do our best to let them lead the kind of a life they can express their inborn behavioural patterns at the best possible extent.
Three months beginning in the june of
1999 I worked in the Agricultural Research Center in Ruukki. I
had finally found an interesting research topic for my pro-gradu.
My study was about behavioural differences between three
identical groups of pigs, which each were raised in different
environments filling the standards for organic pork production of the time. This topic was a part of a larger
research project, which was mainly concentrating on the nutrition
and the use of fodder. Data about their behaviour was collected by direct observation and video recordings during the three month growing season before slaughter. The data was analyzed in the spring 2000 and I have written my master's theses during the summer which is about to be finished and I will graduate at any time now.
You can see pictures of these happy pigs under this link. All pictures
of pigs are taken by Satu Valkama.
You may wonder if my life is only filled
with poodles and "piggy" stuff but it is not. I love
travelling and seeing new places. For a poor student it is not
such an easy business to travel around just like that, so I found
an excellent opportunity to both see something new, enjoy being
abroad and also to get some benefit from it. I decided to
apply Socrates grant to study a few more courses in zoology
in Aberdeen, on the east coast of Scotland. After I had finished
my job at the Agricultural Research Centre in the autumn I flew
to spend the forthcoming 6 months in the land of castles. Here
you can see some more selected pieces of the great picturesque views of Scotland and Ireland from my trips.
In this picture: Dunnotar castle near the little
village of
Stonehaven.
Last not but least: Here are some of my best friends on picnic. From left to right you can see two Tiinas, Mirka, Heli and Maarit lying on the beautiful recreation place in Kuopio, on the beach called Vainolanniemi before Maarit's and Tiina's hen party in the summer of 1999. It was a great, sunny and steamingly warm summer. At the time this picture was taken I was sweating in the pig pen though.
Besides socializing with my lovely friends I go in for movies (It's a wonderful life by Frank Capra and Sixth sense by Night Shyamalan being my favourites), rock music, dancing, swimming, literature and outdoor activities with my dogs.
Here are some interesting links listed for you!
Inge's picture page and the "beer page"
Above: This is my favourite piece of
art!!! Hundreds of hayheads, scarecrows on a marsh, in the middle
of nowhere. Actually near Taivalkoski, in the northern Finland.
Summer 1995. 
