As informed by insurance firm Balta spokesperson Inga Bite, the accident happened around 22:00 while the man and his dog were walking past a bush from which the wild animal making its home in the city attacked and bit him in the leg.
The man immediately checked in with medics for treatment, as well as with his insurance agency for compensation. He is not expected to suffer any lasting effects upon his health.
“If you might assume such things would happen only in the countryside, then this active beaver has apparently taken the urban park to be a perfectly appropriate habitat, therefore now not even a strolling resident can feel safe on the city paths,” Bite remarked.
"Jelgava has seen regular visitations by foxes and deer, but this is our first encounter with a beaver like this," said local government representative Līga Klismeta.
She said there were no precedents for animal attacks, but residents were nevertheless concerned for their safety. Foxes inhabit the overgrown meadows and vacant lots in the city's single-family home districts, but even the tell-tale dams of the beaver had yet to be noted in Jelgava.
Remarking upon how the city council combats the animal nuisance, she said they are caught based on resident reports and released back into the woods. Foxes are first given rabies shots, she said.
State Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) representative Anna Joffe reminded that in the event of an encounter with a forest animal that has decided to “visit” the wild parts of town the main thing is not to panic, not to approach, not to touch.
“The fact that a forest creature has come into the city means it is strong and healthy, as sick animals would never do that, they’d creep away further from human society,” she also warned.
The city of Riga's downtown canals are known to be inhabited by several specimens, however they are rarely spotted, though evidence of their activity abounds.
Wildlife in Latvia's relatively undeveloped small-sized towns, the metropolis of Riga included, is increasingly finding appropriate habitat and foraging territory within municipal limits, causing concern among local humans.
