SusiLIFE advises to report any sightings of wolves near settlements. In Isossakyrö, South Ostrobothnia, a dog was killed by a wolf in the forest a little over a kilometre from the nearest house.
As the wolf population grows, wolves are increasingly being found in residential areas or near pastures. On Friday, the SusiLIFE project published a press release advising, among other things, that wolves sighted in the vicinity of settlements should always be reported to the big game contact person, and in threatening and dangerous situations to the police.
Such a situation occurred last Sunday in Isossakyrö, South Ostrobothnia, when a wolf killed a foxhound that was chasing a fox. The case was first reported by Pohjankyrö magazine.
At around 19:00, the owner had been following his dog’s movements on his GPS device in the Pömpel area near the Ylistaro border, but suddenly the dog had stopped barking.
– Judging by the tracks at the scene, the dog had passed away very quickly. There was no need for the dog to suffer, says Ala-Reini.
In the Pömpel region, there are fields all around, and no single large forest area. According to Ala-Rein, the scene is in the forest, but not in a \”dark corner\”. The nearest residential building is more than a kilometer from the venue.
According to Ala-Rein, the wolf in question is probably a lone wanderer looking for a territory or a mate, which occasionally appear in the area.
– Usually they then move somewhere else and are not heard from after that. In that sense, this was exceptional, that it went right at the dog.
Ala-Reini says that individual strays have been in the area before, but they have not killed dogs before.
– It hurt at that point. The kill could have happened anywhere along this wolf’s route.
There was a recorded wolf damage in the municipality about 15 years ago, but Ala-Reini does not remember the incident. There are more wolves south of Kyrönjoki than north, where Pömpelikin is located.
Good condition and big female
The first sighting of a wolf on the coast was made earlier in the week. The people of Ylistaro, on the other hand, had observations that the beast had gone towards Lapua. However, the wolf had come back by more or less the same route.
From Pömpel, it continued west and was recorded a couple of hours later on a game camera at Ruusupuro located in the northern part of Lehmäjoki. Ala-Reini got the picture from the Whatsapp group. It is about five kilometers from Ruusupuro to the venue Pömpel.
Lower Rhine confirmed the wolf’s route by following tracks in the snow. According to him, it is easy to follow the wolf in good snowy weather. According to educated guesses, the wolf in question was a fit and large female.
– The game camera shows a figure. When we followed the route, we found urine marks that seemed to be made by a female. Males squirted higher, this was a crouch. But men can sometimes do that too, says Ala-Reini.
According to him, there is no longer any intention to track down or disturb Sutta.
– At least at the moment, there is no idea that a wolf has stayed in the Pömpel area.
The state will pay compensation to the dog owner for what happened.
Discussion in the village Whatsapp group
There are beef cattle in the valley and he says that he follows the behavior of his cows in the barn.
– A cow is a prey animal. Yes, it senses if something strange is nearby, says Laakso.
With a loud noise or by shooting into the air
According to SusiLIFE, anyone can chase away a wolf without harming it.
Expulsion can happen, for example, by using a loud voice. In a sparsely populated area, expulsion from the yard can be done by shooting into the air, if it can be done safely.
However, the wolf may not be chased, followed or driven outside the maintained yard or pasture.
*You can discuss the topic on 11.2. until 11 p.m.*