The third year of the LIFE BOREALWOLF patrol

The third year of the LIFE BOREALWOLF project is now behind us. From the perspective of the wilderness patrol, 2021 met all the expectations set for the year. Work with stakeholders, in particular, became more active after the COVID-19 pandemic and as the opportunities for meeting people face to face became more frequent.

Authors: Harri-Pekka Pohjolainen (Eastern Finland Police Department), Juha Ahonen (Metsähallitus)

The patrol’s key tasks in the project are:

1. Diverse cooperation and interaction with different stakeholders and citizens, for example, by giving instructions and advice, and by providing consultation with a low threshold to reduce, minimise and eliminate any conflicts. Activities aim to tackle any negative impact caused by wolves, such as fear, concern and anger, as well as frustration with the authorities.
2. Carrying out diverse general monitoring activities, particularly in sparsely populated areas, including road and off-road traffic.
3. Carrying out targeted official monitoring in areas where any illegal killing of large carnivores has previously been detected.
4. Taking care of any conflicts resulting from large carnivores in cooperation with different regional game management parties (wildlife agencies, game management associations, contact persons for large carnivores and parties providing official assistance).
5. Communicating and conveying correct information (social media, different exhibitions and events).

In general monitoring, the focus has continued to be on hunting, primarily targeting hunting licences; the possession of weapons; the hunting methods used in conjunction with licensed hunting, such as the hunting of small game on roads; and the carrying of weapons in vehicles. In late autumn, the monitoring focused on licensed elk hunting. In traffic control, the focus has been on driving while intoxicated.

The targeted monitoring has focused particularly on areas in which wolves are known to move. With the targeted monitoring, the law enforcement authorities aim to prevent, uncover and combat serious illegal hunting, aimed particularly at large carnivores.

As a whole, the monitoring work has been focused on the region of North Karelia, but also that of North Savo. Some individual shifts have also taken place in the Oulu Police Department’s region (Kainuu).

The patrol mainly carried out monitoring activities on its own, but also systematically with other authorities (the Finnish Border Guard, Metsähallitus, and the Finnish Customs) in different thematic monitoring operations or in individual, planned shifts. Monitoring cooperation was also carried out with the NorppaLIFE project. This monitoring cooperation is very important to further develop collaboration between different authorities, especially in exposing and combating serious illegal hunting

The monitoring carried out by the LIFE BOREALWOLF patrol also implements the obligation of ensuring the safety and security of sparsely populated areas in accordance with the Government Programme (Publications of the Ministry of the Interior 2020:15). The programme emphasises the importance of the authorities’ presence and visibility in areas with the weakest level of services. In addition to the objectives mentioned above, the activities influence the response times in urgent emergency calls. In addition to its basic duties, the patrol took on some police assignments in sparsely populated areas, based on the nearest patrol principle.

The year’s most notable official collaboration event was the SRVA seminar on assistance offered by hunters to authorities regarding large game conflicts, organised by the National Police Board of Finland to game management authorities in December. During this seminar, the LIFE BOREALWOLF project, its working methods and the monitoring tool were presented to about 70 supervisory authorities. The seminar had representatives from different police departments, Metsähallitus’s game wardens, border guards and customs officers, Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Finnish Wildlife Agency were also present.

Additionally, an authority seminar targeted at game management authorities was held in March. The different functions of the project were presented to the audience, which also had the opportunity to hear lectures by a professor and an associate professor from the University of Eastern Finland on illegal hunting and the EU’s legal boundary conditions for protecting wolves. In May, the patrol took part in a course for investigating animal welfare and natural resource related crimes, organised by the Eastern Finland Police Department.

The patrol’s activities are followed using a separate follow-up system. The following shows some key indicators related to the monitoring collected between 1 January and 31 December 2022:

• vehicles inspected during monitoring activities: 547
• hunting and firearms licences inspected during monitoring activities: 436
• offences and misdemeanours uncovered in connection to monitoring activities: 50
• inspections at production holdings: 12

The follow-up system also covers a number of other activities, such as participation in the collection of observation data (DNA), official collaboration and communication.

In 2022, the uncovered offences included a hunting offence and several hunting misdemeanours as well as an animal welfare offence, violations of the act on animal by-products and the waste act, traffic offences and misdemeanours, and a firearm offence. Additionally, several preliminary criminal investigations in accordance with chapter 3, section 3, of the Criminal Investigation Act were recorded.

Some of the patrol’s working hours during the year were allocated to the prevention of damage to domesticated and farmed animals by wolves and other large carnivores. The patrol consulted, guided and advised citizens on how to reduce the number of conflicts and prevent and combat them, for example, in a situation where a bear has caused damage to beehives.

The topics under which local people are met over a year change according to the seasons. In the snowy months, wolves visiting yards keep the patrol busy, while in the summer, the work often involves inspecting damage caused by wolves. Based on the direct feedback received, the citizens have been satisfied with the patrol’s actions in these assignments.

Calls made by citizens in relation to in various conflict situations are expected to increase further. Residents in the operating environment have noticed that the patrol and other operators in the project are able to help them in many ways. Requests for reviewing and assisting with various conflicts are also received through the different partners.

Collaboration with stakeholders has started again as the COVID-19 pandemic has gradually receded. This work has been sorely needed, especially the different encounters with citizens, as well as the seminars and fairs. The most notable individual event in which the project patrol took part over the year was the International Sportsmen’s Fair in Riihimäki. The fair visitors were interested in the project and the patrol, who met with hundreds of visitors during the four fair days.

Overall, the most significant stakeholder collaboration was carried out with the North Karelia Wildlife Agency and the game management societies in the region. This collaboration was mostly focused on maintaining an up-to-date image of the wolf situation in the region, as well as preventing and combating the various conflicts caused by wolves. In cooperation with game administration officials, the patrol also put down a pack of three wild dogs of Russian origin that roamed around Tohmajärvi in the winter.

In November, the patrol also worked together with a Swedish game warden for a little over a week. The game warden had a great deal of experience of large carnivores, and they spent a little over a week getting to know the work of the LIFE BOREALWOLF patrol. This was a great experience for both parties, and the patrol is now also planning to pay a return visit to Sweden during the course of the project. The background for this visit was the cooperation between Sweden’s Naturvårdsverket and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which strives to promote collaboration between the countries, especially in matters regarding wolves.

The testing stage of the monitoring tool intended for authorities was started in spring 2021, and the testing has continued since then. The monitoring tool is a map template that collects data from different sources on current wolf populations. It is used to predict the potential areas for the highest risk for illegal actions against wolves. Factors such as previous illegal actions and tips sent to the supervisory authorities will be taken into account when assessing the risk level. This monitoring tool is a way to enhance the authorities’ prevention work of serious hunting offences.

The patrol was interviewed by Yleisradio in February. The interview theme was the prevention and exposure of illegal wolf killings. The interview was broadcast both online and on TV. The patrol shared several examples of its monitoring work on Instagram and wrote a popular blog about its stakeholder collaboration during the year. Additionally, materials compiled by the project workers on what a wolf’s visit to a yard and a maintained yard area actually mean were shared to citizens via printed media and social media.

As a whole, 2022 was quite similar to last year – busy with diverse assignments. The project has further improved and developed the ability of the Eastern Finland Police Department to combat serious illegal hunting. During the year, we launched several different development measures regarding natural resource-related crimes. The research resources were reinforced and trained in different ways. Cooperation with different authorities has been increased and improved further, for example in the form of shared situational awareness. And we are still moving forward. A host of different development measures are under way, and details about these will be shared later.

Harri-Pekka Pohjolainen
Superintendent
Eastern Finland Police Department

Juha Ahonen
Senior Advisor
Metsähallitus

Photos: © Tobias Peura and Kimmo Örn / LIFE BOREALWOLF