Ropianka, Krosno. Wolf killed during hunting. Hunter faces charges

The investigation into this case is being conducted by the District Prosecutor's Office in Krosno. It has charged Wojciech N. with “killing on November 19, 2023 by shooting a legally protected animal in the form of a wolf and causing significant damage to nature” – said Marta Kolendowska-Matejczuk, spokeswoman for the District Prosecutor's Office in Krosno, in a statement.

She added that “liberal preventive measures” were applied against the suspect, including: a 20 thousand złoty property bond, police supervision and a ban on leaving the country. The man is also banned from contacting hunters and other people associated with the hunting club and from participating in group and individual hunts organized by hunting clubs.

“Wojciech N. did not plead guilty to the charges brought against him and refused to provide explanations,” said prosecutor Marta Kolendowska-Matejczuk.

In the interest of the investigation, the prosecutor's office does not provide any other information in the case. Also, the results of the autopsy of the dead wolf, or the ballistics of the weapon secured in Wojciech N.'s apartment.

The incident took place in November last year. The police were informed about the dead wolf by an employee of the Magura National Park, Zenon Wojtas. In a conversation with a reporter from the Uwaga TVN program, he related the events as follows: “I got a call from hunters who don't like the fact that wolves are being killed during group hunts. I got there and heard a tractor coming from the forest. A shot wolf was lying on the front bucket, all bloody. And next to it was a hunter, about whom I had been notified by an informant.”

The tractor was driven by a farmer who was supposed to have been called to the scene by a hunter to help transport a dead animal. The man was detained by the police. The hunter fled before the police arrived.

The investigation into the wolf's death was initially handled by the District Prosecutor's Office in Krosno, which recused itself from the case some time ago. – The person indicated as the perpetrator is the brother of a local lawyer, some prosecutors know him, so in order to avoid suspicions of a lack of impartiality, we recused ourselves from the case – Sławomir Merkwa, the then head of the Krosno District Prosecutor's Office, told us.

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Wolf – as confirmed in an interview with tvn24.pl by prosecutor Aurelia Skiba, head of the 1st Investigative Department of the District Prosecutor's Office in Krosno, actually died as a result of a gunshot wound. However, the prosecutor's office – for the sake of the investigation – does not reveal how many gunshot wounds the animal had, nor does it provide detailed results of the autopsy.

Witnesses were questioned in the case – participants of the hunt and people taking part in the so-called “hunt”. The farmer who was transporting the body of the shot wolf and the hunter who accompanied him at the time were also questioned. The prosecutor's office does not provide information about the explanations they gave.

– The person indicated as the perpetrator was questioned as a witness with a prior warning of liability under Article 183 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which states that a witness may refuse to answer questions that may expose him or his closest person to criminal liability – prosecutor Skiba told us.

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The Polish Hunting Association is also conducting proceedings in the case of killing the wolf. As Bartosz Bialik from the board of the Krosno district of the Polish Hunting Association tells us, the PZŁ is waiting for the findings of the police and prosecutor's office in this case.

– We have obtained a list of the hunt participants for the proceedings, but the police are investigating the course of the hunt itself. Only when our spokesman receives the documents in this case will we be able to take further action – if necessary – the huntsman Bialik told us. He emphasized that the hunt itself took place in accordance with the regulations. – Group hunts must be reported to the commune office in advance. Such a report includes the place where the hunt will be held and the hours in which it will take place. In this case, all procedures were formally completed – the huntsman explains.

The huntsman points out that not only members of the association can take part in the hunt, but also other hunters invited by these members. They must also be entered on the list of participants in the hunt. They can only take part in the hunt if they have the required permissions.

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If it turns out that the wolf was killed by a hunter, he may be excluded from the list of members of the Polish Hunting Association. – There is only one penalty, such a person ceases to be a hunter. You cannot have such a person in the association – emphasized Bartosz Bialik, a hunter, in an interview with tvn24.pl.

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Wolves have been under complete protection in Poland throughout the country since 1998. It is forbidden to kill, maim, capture, scare, disturb, keep, destroy dens and take pups from them, as well as store and sell skins and other parts of dead individuals without the appropriate permit.

Killing or poaching a wolf is punishable by up to five years in prison.