Although wild animals usually avoid encountering humans, the arrival of frost and increasing snow cover makes them less wary, leading them to spend more time near human dwellings. Uģis Bergmanis, Senior Environmental Expert at AS Latvijas valsts meži (LVM), explains why we see wild animals more often in winter and how to react when encountering them.

“In snowy winter conditions, roe deer can be seen near houses particularly often, as they feed on apple tree shoots and search for fallen apples on the ground at dusk and even during daylight hours. Red deer are also happy to spend time in orchards. Therefore, it is important to ensure that domestic dogs do not run free and pose a threat to these animals. Dogs must be kept in an enclosure or inside the house,” explains Uģis Bergmanis.

Rapeseed leaves are a particularly favoured winter food for roe deer, red deer, and elk. It has been observed that eating rapeseed leaves can cause digestive problems in roe deer, making them indifferent to human presence. Such animals should not be touched or disturbed; they usually recover after a short time and return to the behaviour characteristic of wild animals.

“Various species of predators, such as foxes, pine martens, and polecats, are also seen much more frequently near inhabited houses in winter as they search for food: foxes eat from cat food bowls, polecats readily prowl through slaughterhouses and grain dryers in search of mice, while pine martens do not miss the opportunity to check beehives,” notes the LVM expert.

LVM Senior Environmental Expert Uģis Bergmanis emphasises that the most dangerous situations in interactions with wild animals occur on roads. Roe deer enjoy licking the road salt spread on the highways or feeding on acorns growing on the roadside – such situations can lead to collisions with vehicles, resulting in injuries to both animals and people.

“If you notice an injured wild animal, you must not approach it – they can be dangerous to humans. In such situations, you should call the emergency services or the State Forest Service. Conversely, if you find a bird unable to fly, you first need advice from an expert by calling the Nature Conservation Agency, the Latvian Ornithological Society, or Latvijas valsts meži to determine the bird's species, conservation status, and potential injury,” explains the LVM expert.

In such situations, photographs or video footage of the bird are very valuable. If there are no bone fractures, it is possible to help the birds by feeding them for several days under appropriate conditions and then returning them to the wild.

https://www.lvm.lv/jaunumi/7304-kapec-meza-zveri-ziema-biezak-uzturas-cilveku-maju-tuvuma?idU=1