Bear activity rises in Latvia before winter

Bear numbers and encounters near homes are increasing in Latvia, with animals especially active in autumn as they seek food before winter, LSM reported. Experts say bears are drawn to easily available food, including rubbish, compost, fallen fruit, chickens and beehives.

A bear destroyed all 20 bee colonies at beekeeper Toms Kočāns’s farm. It was the second time the animal had visited: in spring, it damaged one apiary. An electric fence around the property did not stop it. Kočāns said the bear pushed down a corner post and crossed the fence.

Beekeepers can apply for state compensation for bear damage, but some do not, said Juris Šteiselis, chairman of the board of the Latvian Beekeepers’ Association. He said the compensation system does not always give applicants confidence that they will receive payment.

In the Valka area, one bear known locally as the “chicken bear” has been visiting farms across a wide area and targeting chickens, said Gita Strode, a department director at the Nature Conservation Agency. Officials are testing ways to capture it.

Latvia’s bear population has grown from about 30 to nearly 200 in recent years, according to figures cited in the report. Bears reproduce, but females do not have cubs every year: they give birth every two to three years, said Guna Bagrade, a leading researcher at the Silava Latvian State Forest Research Institute.

Experts advise people who spot a bear in a forest to report the sighting through the Dabas dati portal.