They domesticate wild animals, then shoot them in Latvia

In Latvia, a dramatic story of the children-beloved she-bear Maade, who escaped from a nature park, has ended sadly. The chasers alleged that there was no single tranquiliser gun in the whole Baltic country and simply killed her. The objections of the bear’s long-term tender had no effect.

The bear escaped from the park’s fencing two days earlier. The personnel waited that Maade would home herself and then it would be a technical issue, to put her back into the enclosure. To lure the bear, some food with sleeping pills was displayed in the vicinity but the hope was doomed to failure.

 In fact, it was patience that did help last August when the she-bear escaped the first time, local media note. She was discovered the next day eating apples in a nearby private garden then. Furbreeder Velga Vitola,  called Bear Mum, managed to lure Maade back to the enclosed area, using the sock.

This time, the bear wandered into a backyard of a nearby private house only half a kilometre from her nature park’s sector. The bear’s tender managed to feed Maade there. Later it was rumoured that the bear suddenly had attacked the woman, however, Vitola categorically rejected such allegations, marking that Maade had not even tried to hurt her.

Finally the she-bear was shot and killed. The bear’s tender is completely baffled by this action. She published  Maade’s last pictures on the local social network Draugiem.lv. "At least in thevery  last hours you were free. Thank you, Maade, for the time spent together... these 17 years of your life. I tried to be your friend," she wrote with her heart broken.

In Latvia, this is not the first time when a domesticated wild animal living in the nature park was killed, online paper Kas Jauns added. Several years ago a wild boar escaped into the forest. The animal possessed no threat to people, but local decision-makers decided to shoot him.

At the end of March, Latvian citizens managed to collect the necessary funds, more than $ 52,000, to build a new sealed area and cabin for another nature park’s she-bear, Little Ilse. It was expected that by year's end all the four bears living at Ligatne Nature Park would move to their new housing. Would they soon be killed the same way as Maade today, is a rhetorical question.

Latvians instantly reacted to the news about the she-bear's killing: that was the easiest and most stupid solution in this situation, the majority believe. In a civilized society people could resolve this situation in favour of both, the bear and the enjoyment of nature lovers, local internet forums reiterate.