Police expand hunting checks in eastern Finland after poaching case

Police and the Finnish Wildlife Agency have increased hunting checks in eastern Finland following a series of hunting offences, with officials hoping more visible enforcement will deter violations, Yle reports.

Local game management associations and eastern Finland police have held more joint checks to ensure hunting is legal and safe. Such operations with police used to be occasional, but there have been dozens this year, says Juha Tissari, a game planning specialist at the Finnish Wildlife Agency. Figures for the year are not yet available.

Across Finland, game management associations recorded 808 hunting supervision events last year, up from 753 in 2024. Police and other authorities are informed of around 250 to 350 hunting crimes or violations annually, Tissari says. He believes violations have fallen as enforcement has become more visible.

The increased cooperation follows several hunting crimes that came to light in recent years, including the Savukukko case, described as Finland’s largest poaching case. Hunters killed or wounded wolves, wolverines, lynxes and protected birds in Lapinlahti and nearby municipalities between 2019 and 2023.

Police and game management association officers checked a moose hunt in Ristiina, in Mikkeli, on October 17. All the required hunting permits they checked were in order.

Kaj Palmgren, hunting leader for the Kaipola Hunting and Fishing Club, says hunters are getting older, which can create safety risks. He said a person’s health can change significantly in a short time and that memory problems and other conditions can pose risks, even for experienced hunters.

Palmgren said it could be difficult to tell someone who has hunted for decades to leave their gun at home, adding that hunting leaders have a major responsibility.