This year, the State Forest Service has received 20 confirmed reports of wolf attacks in which a significant number of livestock have been harmed. Animal owners are being urged to report wolf attacks more actively.

Data on signs of wolf presence and the results of the last hunting season available to the State Forest Service indicate that the state of the wolf population in Latvia is stable. At the same time, the number of wolf attacks on livestock has increased significantly. Since the beginning of this year, the State Forest Service has received 20 confirmed reports of wolf attacks in which 79 sheep and one dog have been killed, 34 sheep injured and 14 sheep have gone missing. The number of affected animals is significantly higher than in the same period last year. From 1 January to 30 June 2021, 11 wolf attacks were registered with the State Forest Service, in which 16 sheep were killed and 11 injured, as well as one calf, four dogs and five red deer killed within the territory of a deer park.

The highest intensity of wolf attacks this year was observed in the Amata, Vaive, Veselava and Līgatne parishes of the Cēsis municipality – 12 attacks occurred there, resulting in 54 sheep killed, 19 injured and 3 missing.

Large predator attacks are not always reported to the State Forest Service because losses caused by predators are not compensated in Latvia. Despite this, the service urges residents to report large predator attacks more actively and to implement preventive measures against them. An attack that has been reported is officially recognised as having occurred and serves as a basis for determining the hunting quota for large predators. The State Forest Service encourages reporting predator attacks as soon as possible after the event, so that a service specialist can arrive at the scene promptly to draw conclusions, draw up an official report and take a DNA sample of the predator for further analysis.