The number of wolf attacks on farm animals and dogs about which the State Forest Service (VMD) has received and verified information has risen significantly over the past five years. The actual number of wolf attacks is most likely higher, as some residents do not report wolf attacks to the VMD.

In order to reduce the damage wolves cause to residents, the Ministry of Agriculture calls on the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development to include in the wolf species protection plan the study carried out in 2024 by the Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, “Use of the research envisaged in the grey wolf Canis lupus species protection plan in developing a system of adaptive protection and management of the population”, and to make such changes to the wolf hunting rules as would offer a system for managing the wolf population appropriate to the situation, while at the same time ensuring compliance with international legal obligations and the core requirements of the species protection plan.

It is mainly sheep that suffer in wolf attacks, but information is also regularly received about dogs, goats and cattle being harmed, as well as about attacks in deer parks. In 2020, 115 domestic animals were affected (killed, injured or missing) in attacks, in 2021 – 182, in 2022 – 497, in 2023 – 597 and in 2024 – 336 domestic animals. In Latvia, under the provisions of the Law on the Conservation of Species and Biotopes, no compensation is paid for damage caused by wolves, because the wolf is a game species.

Under the regulations on the list of specially protected species and specially protected species whose use is limited, wolf hunting is permitted by way of exception, in accordance with the grey wolf (Canis lupus) species protection plan drawn up by the “Silava” institute and approved at the time by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development. At present, no more than 300 wolves a year may be hunted in Latvia. Over the past three hunting seasons the VMD has set the maximum permissible number of wolves to be hunted at 300 individuals, and this has been met in full. In the 2024/2025 hunting season, too, the permissible number of wolves to be hunted set by the VMD (300 wolves) has been met, and the VMD has no legal grounds to increase it.