Wildlife collisions kill three drivers in Latvia as residents question response system

Nearly 1,000 animals have been struck on Latvian roads this year, and three drivers have died in collisions, LSM reports. Residents say the recommended steps after hitting an animal are too complicated, a concern acknowledged by the State Forest Service and the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments.

Two fatal collisions happened this summer in Krāslava municipality, in the Kastuļina and Ūdrīši parishes. One victim was a 16-year-old motorcyclist. A third driver died last week in a collision in Iecava parish, Bauska municipality, according to the State Police.

Police have registered 173 road accidents involving animals this year, 13 fewer than last year. The State Forest Service, however, has received reports of 997 collisions, nearly six times as many. Residents report animals struck by vehicles by phone or through the Mednis mobile app.

If a collision damages a vehicle, drivers should call emergency services on 112. If the damage is minor and the animal is not obstructing traffic, the State Forest Service recommends reporting the incident through Mednis. If the animal is blocking traffic, people should also contact the road maintainer, either Latvijas Valsts ceļi or the municipality.

Residents have said on social media that injured animals may be left without help outside official working hours and that the response procedure is too complicated. Valters Lūsis, head of the State Forest Service’s Hunting Division, acknowledged the difficulty of dealing with injured animals. He said the Animal Protection Law allows only a practising veterinarian to immobilise or euthanise an animal. Hunters, he added, are reluctant to intervene because the situation does not constitute hunting.