The regulations define the territory where hunting is allowed in cases where animals threaten public order and safety or cause damage, the means to be used for hunting, and the responsible authority for organizing hunting.
Hunting of dangerous animals in Riga will be allowed with hunting firearms equipped with silencers, and small-caliber hunting weapons, as well as with hunting tools, such as traps.
The Riga Municipality Hunting Coordination Commission will determine whether hunting of dangerous animals will be allowed.
Hunting of dangerous animals will be allowed in virtually all of Rīga, except for the city center.
As previously explained to the Members, these rules will not allow hunting by anyone and will not mean that a hunt will be organized if an animal appears in a park in Riga.
It will only be allowed if a dangerous animal is found in the territory of the city and poses a threat to people and their property. For example, if a pet is attacked by a fox or a raccoon, if beavers are found in an area and damage drainage systems, and similar situations.
In recent years, wild animals have been spotted in and around the city center on several occasions. In Bieriņi and Imanta, witnesses have seen herds of wild boar. Large herbivores such as moose occasionally wander into the capital. The beavers of the Riga Canal have unofficially become the symbol of the city, and a family of foxes has taken up residence in Zaķusala. The municipality points out that predators can pose a threat to people and pets, and that diseases carried by large mammals such as wild boar not only endanger people but can also bring food businesses to a standstill. Beavers, on the other hand, cause serious damage to drainage systems.
A wide-ranging discussion took place in the Riga City Council, during which opposition representatives expressed ideas on diversifying the way animals are hunted, emphasising the possibility of trapping animals and relocating them outside Riga. All opposition proposals were rejected.
