“Although a hunting ban has been in place in the national park since 2016, which includes pastures for taurine cattle and wild horses, hunting still takes place here with special permission from the Nature Conservation Agency. The reason cited is African swine fever (ASF), which has been nothing special in Latvia, and also here (in Ķemeri National Park), for 7-8 years. It must be admitted that shooting individual (healthy!) wild boar does not solve the eradication or containment of ASF. Hunting is more likely to spread the disease by flushing wild boar out of the forest block into adjacent territories. The real reason for hunting in the restricted area is to drive out of this territory those animals that would be shot outside the borders of the restricted area. Usually, hunters become active in such hunts in the restricted area during the red deer rutting season or to be able to bag the number of animals allowed within the limit (towards the end of the hunting season).”

(...)

It is interesting, however, that in the State Civil Protection Plan, African swine fever is mentioned as an epizootic comparable to a disaster, for the prevention of which specific action is provided. The plan states:
“Epizootics are animal infectious diseases characterised by mass illness in animals, and they cause major economic losses, restrict trade in animals and products of animal origin. These are, for example, African swine fever, classical swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, avian influenza, etc.

(...)

However, the Ķemeri National Park Foundation emphasises that African swine fever “is nothing special”. We have previously written about how two ASF outbreaks caused concern in 2021 – one in Tukums Municipality, Ķemeri National Park and adjacent territories, and the other in the border area of the country. It was estimated that hunting in protected nature areas takes place to a limited extent, which could be one of the factors why an active outbreak of infection was detected there. Regarding Ķemeri National Park, it was the hunters themselves who pointed out that a reservoir of wild boar had formed in these areas, and wild boar infected with the plague were discovered in the surrounding territories. The problem is that areas where African swine fever control measures are not implemented can become a hotbed for this disease, which will promote the spread of the disease in the surrounding area. Here, the question arises as to whether, for conscious or unconscious reasons, the managers of Ķemeri National Park have not facilitated the spread of African swine fever? This, however, should be investigated more extensively by the responsible authorities!”