2016

The Unexpected Encounter with a Bear

“The moment was full of joy and excitement - I had a chance to see the great king of the forest – the bear. I wasn’t scared because I had not done anything bad to him, and there was no reason for an attack,” says Mārtiņš – forest master of JSC “Latvia’s State Forests”(LVM) Klīve Forest District, Zemgale Region. Meeting the bear made his working day in Jelgava neighbourhood completely different than usual.

“That Monday morning Ulvis, a student of Ogre Forest Technical School, started his internship in our forest district,” Mārtiņš started his “Monday Story” (he usually familiarizes students with the duties of a forest master).

“Morning passed checking different sites in the forest and introducing the daily duties. Driving along the Dišupi Road – 14 kilometers away from Jelgava – in a place where on both sides of the road there are piles of woodchips, we noticed a dark silhouette that quickly ran across the road. At first, we could not realize what we had just seen! Instantly I said: See, wild boar is running across the road. But the student corrected me saying that it was a bear,” remembers Mārtiņš.

“We stopped the car and got out to see the footprints, took photos and later shared our experience with colleagues and hunters. It looked like the bear was in a hurry; maybe people had scared him while picking up mushrooms in the forest. Of course, in a rush he didn’t pay any attention to us,” Mārtiņš finishes his unusual story.

In autumn, we spend a lot of time in the forest collecting forest berries and mushrooms. Nature lovers need to remember to wear appropriate clothes in the forest, as well as to be careful because wild animals of different sizes may frequently be encountered in the forest. Egils Ozols, Director of LVM Recreation and Hunting, explains that each wild animal is essential for nature, and it should be kept in mind when going into nature. No one should touch animals and birds or interfere in their lives. Exploring animal and bird tracks gives an opportunity to understand their lifestyle and learn a lot about their behaviour. We can learn not only from footprints but also excrements, scratches on the trees, food leftovers, and other signs.

Attacks of big animals are very rare in Latvia. So there is no reason to be scared; one only needs to be careful and remember the main rules of behaviour. Threats can arise from animals that are injured or sick with rabies. However, also these cases are rare because sick animals usually attack negligent hunters rather than nature lovers that happen to be in the forest. Sick animals can be recognized by their unusual behaviour – they are not scared of human beings. The main rule – do not approach or touch them, because it is likely to get rabies coming into contact with them, and it is deadly for both animals and humans.

Wild boars, elks or bears that are rare in Latvia might attack people not even being injured, but by protecting their babies. Never approach them if you see babies of these animals, and quickly leave the place (but do not run). In most cases, these animals try to avoid people, and they manage it successfully, considering the fact that people are quite loud when walking around the forest and can easily be heard.