Lasse Kurkela's Image

After an unsuccessful year looking for wolves, Lasse and his father heard of a group attracted by bait for bears and arrived at a remote hide in darkness. First light revealed movement in the trees as a wolf cautiously approached. Wrapping his camera in fabric to silence it, Lasse used black and white to best capture the dark, misty atmosphere.

Lone wolves have a bad reputation, but have a natural role in mixing the gene pool and expanding to new areas. Wary of people, Finland’s wolves are hunted, both legally and illegally. Bitter controversy continues about their numbers in the wild. Some argue culling is necessary to protect people and hunting dogs. Others call for conservation.