In the early morning of Friday, October 17, 16-year-old Janis Biteņieks was heading to the school bus. Upon leaving his house, he suddenly noticed two dog-like animals in the field near his yard in Garsene, Rubene, and decided to film them. As it turned out later, he unexpectedly managed to capture a pair of wolves carrying prey.
The portal tv3.lv contacted the friend of the schoolboy's grandmother, Andris Zibergs, who reported that this happened exactly at 7:40 AM, which can be considered already during daylight. The wolves ran just 200 meters from the homestead.
Was the boy scared? Zibergs assures that he was not. "We all live in the countryside. All the children here know that there is no need to be afraid of wolves if they are fed and not rabid," says the resident of Garsene, believing that Janis had a truly unusual morning. Although he perceived the presence of wolves calmly.
"Janis was not sure that they were wolves. He thought maybe they were dogs," Zibergs recounts.
The man contacted a hunter friend, who surveyed the field, found wolf tracks, and traced them for about two kilometers — to a nearby swamp, where, Zibergs is convinced, the wolves reside.
"The only thing that raises concern in this situation is whether to let the dog outside," Zibergs admits, adding that in recent days his four-legged friend has shown no desire to go beyond the yard.
Zibergs himself is not afraid of wolves. He has seen predators twice, and once — like Janis — in childhood, near a rural house. The recently filmed video, according to him, once again proves how cautious a wolf is and how it tries to avoid human settlements.
"I have gone hiking a lot — I have seen deer, martens, and other animals, but never a wolf. What a cautious beast it is," adds Zibergs.
Leading researcher at the Latvian Forest Research Institute "Silava" Guna Bagrade explained in a conversation with the portal tv3.lv that people in Latvia often have a mistaken impression: that a wolf should not leave the forest because it is dangerous for humans.
"It should be understood that animals, including wolves, do not have the same boundaries as humans — private property. If a stranger comes, it must be driven away. Animals do not have such boundaries; they live in nature," explains the scientist, adding that a wolf's path may well pass by human habitation. According to her, the hunting territories of wolf packs in nature are extremely vast.
Commenting on the video filmed by Janis, Bagrade emphasizes: a wolf in the field is something quite natural and does not go beyond the behavior of the animal. The incident was recorded early in the morning — at a typical time for predators' activity. The animal was far enough from the human. In its jaws was prey, and it was trying to get to a quieter place as quickly as possible, where it could eat, explains the specialist.
"The young man managed to observe a completely natural moment of nature," she summarizes.
Can one now safely let the dog into the yard? Bagrade responds that wolves hunt not during the day, but at dusk and at night, so as long as the dog is near its owner, the predator will definitely not attack it.
In turn, zoologist and head of the communication department at the Latvian Museum of Nature Inta Lange, commenting on the situation captured by Janis, notes: the person was lucky, and the wolf was not. Although such a video cannot be called extremely rare, Janis was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time and see the predators.
According to the zoologist, it is quite possible that wolves have inhabited this area for a long time. "In this case, it is unknown how successful the wolves' hunt was — perhaps they had to cover large distances," Lange speculates, explaining why the predators' path passed by Janis's and Andris Zibergs' house. She also emphasizes: the video clearly shows how wolves avoid humans by running away.
"It is obvious that this place and time do not fall within their comfort zone," concludes the zoologist.
According to the State Forest Service, there are currently about 1400 wolves in Latvia.
This season, 2025/2026, the State Forest Service has decided to increase the quota for wolf hunting to 370 individuals.
This is 70 wolves more than in the previous hunting season 2024/2025.
