Man faces 31,000-euro bill over illegal bear shooting

A man suspected of illegally shooting a three-year-old brown bear in Ogre municipality may have to pay 31,000 euros in damages, LSM reports. The State Police said the case materials have been handed to the Pieriga Prosecutor’s Office to begin criminal prosecution.

Police received the report on October 31, 2025, from State Forest Service employees who found that a hunter had illegally killed the bear in Taurupe Parish, a local administrative area in Ogre municipality. The dead brown bear was found in a vehicle trailer.

Police encountered two men at the scene, one born in 1972 and the other in 1976. Investigators determined that the older man had shot the bear. The criminal proceedings against the second man were terminated after it was established that he had not participated in the offence.

Police seized the hunting weapons and the illegally killed animal, and ordered expert examinations. The suspected man has not previously come to the attention of police, and no security measure was imposed in the case.

Criminal proceedings were launched under Article 115 of Latvia’s Criminal Law, concerning the destruction of a specially protected animal. The offence carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, short-term imprisonment, probation supervision, community service or a fine.

The case was sent to the Pieriga Prosecutor’s Office on September 2. The State Police stressed that no person is considered guilty until guilt has been proven in accordance with the procedure established by law.