Hundreds of young female influencers have been contacted by the Tiktok account “Djureninaturen”, which sends inappropriate gifts and letters.
A 51-year-old man was named as the person behind the account – but proved innocent.
– Like a riddle from a modern storybook, says Essy Klingberg, SvDwho have delved into the mystery.
It already started in the fall of 2022 when the Tiktok artist Kharma Sarenbrant was contacted by the account “Djureninaturen”. She received comments that quickly became very inappropriate resulting in her blocking the account.
– I just tried to get away from the whole situation because it gave me a lot of anxiety and affected my everyday life a lot, she says.
For a long time, Kharma didn’t think much of the account, until the spring of 2023. By chance, she came across a Tiktok video where a girl shared that she, and hundreds of other girls, had been victimized by the exact same thing – by the same account .
– There was a feeling of discomfort in me, but I also felt that there was an opportunity to get my story out about this. So that parents and children understand how serious situations like this can be, says Kharma.
Not an obvious grooming offense
Essy Klingberg, culture editor at Svenska Dagbladet, became interested in the account when it appeared in her feed.
– There was a lot of concern in the comment section and I wanted to find out what it was really about, she says.
The account, which itself pretends to be a man, has contacted girls and asked for private contact. He has also sent letters and gifts in the post – something many experienced as incredibly unpleasant. But none of the messages that Svenska Dagbladet was able to see were about arranging a meeting for sexual purposes, and it is therefore unclear whether what he has done is actually criminal.
– You can do quite a lot as an adult without it becoming illegal – it’s an interesting gray area. It is not obvious that it is a grooming crime even though it is very unpleasant.
Pretty soon after Essy started digging into the mystery, videos of a 51-year-old man’s identity get extremely widespread on Tiktok. The man is accused of being behind “The Animal Nature”. But when Essy gets hold of the man, it becomes clear that he is not the one behind the account.
– It gave me an insight into how powerless you are if there are things on the internet that you cannot control yourself.
Even Kharma describes influencer power as unpleasant.
– When the name came out, I panicked. I felt involved and responsible even though I wasn’t. His life has been completely destroyed and at the same time the person who is actually behind it is still at large, she says.