An article written in 2017 that remains relevant

It is not strictly the case that no bears have set foot in the wild in Latvia – a few dozen brown bears permanently roam our territory, both young and adult. However, they are mostly incomers from Estonia and Russia. The number of reports and the tracking of monitored footprints give the impression of an increase in the bear population. The best chance of encountering these bruins is in the so-called wide end of Eastern Latvia. Animals have been spotted in the municipalities of Limbaži, Valmiera, Valka, and Alūksne, as well as in Krāslava, Zilupe, Žīguri, and Vecumi. However, it cannot be ruled out that some bears also reside in the forests of central Latvia. There is the least chance of encountering these large animals in the forests of Kurzeme. Although, for historical reasons, bears are not frequent guests here, some individuals certainly overwinter in Latvia.

...the bruin possesses an amazing historical memory. "Unlike in neighbouring countries, brown bears in Latvia were mercilessly hunted at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, which is why they no longer bred in our territory. The bears were shot by the landed gentry – the Poles and the Germans, not the Latvians," says Ozoliņš. Furthermore, in later years, agriculture developed rapidly in Latvia – as a result, the areas covered by forests decreased significantly. It was only after the Second World War that the abandoned agricultural lands began to be covered by forests again.