Two hunters arrested in connection with the illegal shooting of M237, the wolf that made a record journey from Switzerland to Hungary

A wolf registered as M237 was shot illegally in April 2023 in Hungary. The GPS-collared wolf was tracked for 1,900 kilometres from Switzerland to Hungary, making it the longest recorded dispersal by a wolf in Europe. After the wolf’s GPS collar sent unusual information, the Hungarian Police launched a search operation and found the collar in a river in North East Hungary, by the Slovak boarder.

In the investigation, the Poison and Carcass Detection Unit of BirdLife Hungary was involved together with the officers of the Bükk and Aggtelek National Park Directorates. The dog unit had been trained within the LIFE SWiPE project to be able to support the assessment of the large carnivore population in Hungary.

The investigation has reached an important milestone recently. The Environment Crime Sub-department of the National Investigation Bureau of Hungary caught two men who were suspected of committing environment crime, gun and munition abuse and other crimes. Following their interrogation, the two men were taken to custody and police initiated their arrest.

The spokesperson of the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County Attorney Office said to media that the M237 wolf was shot by a 9-year-old boy who is the son of one of the suspects. That person is also accused of child endangerment.