Few convicted of theft of wolves - "There is a culture of silence around these crimes"

In Dalarna there is talk of a black hole where the wolf has disappeared completely from large parts of the county.

"My image is that there is an organized illegal hunting of predators in that area," says Åse Schoultz, environmental prosecutor.

- The valleys are such an area where you see that there are smaller populations and fewer wolverine than it should be, says Caroline Dickson predator manager for the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

While the problem of the illegal hunting of wolves is on the agenda of both researchers and the authorities, few are convicted of killing wolves.

SVT has looked at all judgments concerning hunting crimes and the wolf over the past ten years. During that period, only three people were convicted of hunting crime after killing a wolf. And it's just about two wolves.

The fanswolf and the Snapphane wolf.

- The environment in which these crimes are committed means that the crimes are very difficult to detect and extremely difficult to investigate. There is a culture of silence around this type of crime, says Åse Schoultz, environmental prosecutor.

She is clear in pointing out that she believes that 99.9 percent of the hunter corps is serious, but that many know more than they say.

- What I wish is that there were demands from all serious hunters that they no longer buy this.

Ulf Berg, chairman of the Dalarna Jägarförbundet Dalarna says that the association clearly distances itself from illegal hunting, but at the same time asks very much about Schoultz's wish.

- I think most people in the Jägarforbundet have no idea that this is the case. If it is now as usual as the prosecutor says then you should probably find a little more than you do when it comes to poaching of wolves.

There are about 300 wolves in Sweden. According to the research available today, over 20 percent of the tribe dies each year, half of natural causes and the other half disappear in connection with illegal hunting.

During the autumn, new research results are expected in the area when the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU, comes with a new report on illegal hunting of wolves.