Someone Illegally Shot a Wolf. "Lego Was Raising His Pups This Year"

A wolf named Lego, tracked by scientists, was shot dead. The team studying wolves is offering a reward for help in identifying the perpetrator. Wolves are under strict protection in Poland, but despite this, people kill hundreds each year. The perpetrators often go unpunished.

The article was written by Patryk Strzałkowski, a journalist for Gazeta.pl.

The Association for Nature "Wilk" reported Lego's death. "On August 25, an adult male wolf was illegally shot in the Tuchola Forest. This occurred in hunting district No. 266, leased by the hunting club 'Cyranka' from Starogard Gdański," the organization writes.

Wilk (zdjęcie ilustracyjne)Fot. Łukasz Cynalewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

The killed wolf had been wearing a telemetry collar fitted by scientists from the University of Gdańsk for over a year. Thanks to this, it was discovered that the wolf was illegally killed, and his body was found. It is also known that the male was raising his pups this year.

Reward for Finding the Perpetrator

According to the association, the research team is offering a reward of 10,000 PLN for identifying the perpetrator. The authorities have been notified.

Killing an animal under strict protection is a crime that carries a penalty of up to 5 years in prison. However, in practice, the perpetrators often remain unpunished because they are not found. The association informs that this is the ninth wolf among those they have tracked with telemetry that has been illegally shot.

In 2021, the prosecutor's office discontinued the investigation into the killing of a wolf near Morąg. The WWF Poland organization later filed a complaint against this decision, pointing out that the investigators did not do everything they could, including neglecting to identify the ammunition used to kill the wolf.

The wolves whose deaths can be confirmed are only a small fraction of those killed. Research by Dr. Sabina Pierużek-Nowak, president of the association, shows that at least 140 wolves are killed by firearms each year in Poland. In cases where the perpetrator is found, they are usually hunters.

"This practice has intensified since mid-2017, when the then Minister of the Environment introduced the possibility of year-round night hunting for wild boars using thermal imaging and night vision devices. These devices allow easy identification of all larger species of animals, including wolves, in the dark," the association writes.