Bear escorted out of Jekabpils after wandering into the town

RIGA - A bear that wandered into Jekabpils on Sunday has been successfully escorted out of the town, Mayor Raivis Ragainis (Latvian Green Party) confirmed to LETA.

Ragainis revealed that the animal was led to the forest after dark by closing a street and creating a corridor for the bear. Drones with infrared cameras were then launched into the air, but they did not record the bear, so it is assumed that it disappeared into the Birzi forests.

The Jekabpils mayor noted that the bear's exit from the city had been hampered by the high level of interest from the public, which confused the animal. "Some people complain about the lack of information, but this was done in order not to attract even more attention," Ragainis said, adding that despite the potentially dangerous situation, residents were ready to chase, film, or take photos of the bear.

The animal did not cause any damage, and no people were hurt.

The presence of bears near other inhabited places has been reported to the municipality in the past. Recently, a moose wandered into Jekabpils and was also escorted away from the town. "Nature is nature. We are surrounded by forests, and it is no coincidence that the Selija military training ground has been established in our region," Ragainis commented.

The bear was reported wandering in Jekabpils last Sunday. In the evening, Ragainis informed that the police were controlling the situation and trying to chase the bear away from the town with loudspeakers.