Susien suojelun tragedia

The current discussion on the decreasing number of wolves in Finland is the starting point for the article.Poaching is considered the main reason for the diminishing wolf population. However, prevention of poachingis difficult as the current conservation policy lacks the acceptance of people living in areas with wolves. Inthis study, I call on my long-time residence in the area which in recent decades has had the highest numberof wolves in Finland. I analyse how wolves are present in people’s everyday life and why local people approveof poaching. According to my autoethnographic research, poaching of wolves is a form of everydayresistance by people living in this area, and must therefore be kept hidden. A small group engages in it interms of physical action and the majority in terms of silence. The emergence of a poaching culture in thefield of my research is related to everyday problems – wolves kill cattle and dogs and cause general feelingsof insecurity in the area. Solving the problem of wolf policy requires policy-makers to seriously considerthe problems caused by wolves. Outside inspectors cannot monitor the observance of hunting restrictionsin the sparsely populated forests of Finland – it requires the assistance of the local population. Hunters,conservationists, researchers and authorities could count wolves together. In doing so, they could discussthe existing number of wolves in terms of wolf conservation and in terms of the problems caused by wolves.