On Monday, some residents received alerts on their phones about a brown bear sighting.
Residents are warned that bears may enter your home.
"The Ministry of the Environment informs: A brown bear has been spotted in the vicinity of Riešės eldership."
"Please do not visit the surrounding forests. Bears may wander into residential areas, remain vigilant, do not leave children outside unattended," the ministry said in a statement to residents.
If a bear is spotted, residents are urged to immediately inform the services of its location by calling 112.
"The situation is not simple"
After a wild bear entered the capital over the weekend, authorities admit that they failed to properly communicate the actions taken to ensure the safety of the public and the animal.
"The animal was monitored the whole time (...), and all the information that emerged was responded to (...). Let's say that the situation was known, but what we can admit is that there was a lack of communication from our institutions. We will definitely have to fix this, review it," Vice Minister of the Environment Ramūnas Krugelis told reporters on Monday.
"However, the situation is not simple - putting a brown bear to sleep in the wild is a challenge even for the most serious specialists, so in reality, the work is still ahead," he added.
R. Krugelis pointed out that residents who have spotted a bear should report it to the general emergency number 112. According to him, if drones lose their effectiveness due to hot weather, this is the only way for specialists to find out the bear's location.
"This is the most important task at the moment, because drones with thermal imaging cameras have lost their ability to help in such hot weather and will probably have to wait until evening," he said.
According to the vice minister, once the drones take off, they will survey the area where the bear was last spotted, namely in Riešė.
R. Krugelis noted that hunters are also involved in the process, and permits are currently being processed. However, as the vice minister stated, hunters are involved as a last resort.
"The saddest thing is, of course, that the sad outcome for the animal is inevitable, so we need to keep in mind that it could end up in any way. The less you disturb it, the calmer it will be, the easier it will be for specialists to work," the vice-minister added.
R. Krugel also claimed that wildlife monitoring is ongoing, but that current response algorithms will likely need to be reviewed.
"Animal monitoring is ongoing, but it's a little different. Agree, this is an extraordinary situation and it may be necessary to review some actions, algorithms, and take preventive measures. Perhaps with GPS markers to ensure the safety of residents," he said.
The bear's location is currently unknown, invasive measures will be used
According to Justina Morkūnaitė, head of the Wildlife Conservation Center, the whereabouts of the wandering bear are currently unknown.
"At this time, it is very important for us to determine the animal's whereabouts, as it is currently unknown. (…) We invite the public to report any sightings of a brown bear by calling the general emergency number 112," she said.
According to her, the first reports of the wandering bear were received on Saturday afternoon. The plan was to let the bear orient itself and return to the wild, but when they arrived at the location, the bear was gone. Since the animal could not be found and no additional reports were received, it was assumed that the animal had successfully returned to the forest.
However, on Sunday, the reports repeated and specialists decided that invasive measures were necessary because the animal itself was unable to orient itself in its environment.
"We give the animal a day to orient itself, to return to nature. If we see that this cannot be done, we take up another plan. The other plan is already invasive, that is, to sedate the animal, use drugs with an injection gun and safely move it to the forest," said J. Morkūnaitė.
"However, it is important to understand that we cannot guarantee that the animal will not return. It is a mobile animal that can walk several dozen kilometers a day. We cannot guarantee that once it is taken to a forested area, it will not leave it," she added.
If successful, J. Morkūnaitė noted, the sedated bear will be transported and released in forested areas in the south.
The center's director also mentioned that extreme measures would only be decided if the bear could not be sedated.
"If the animal cannot be sedated several times using that method. But we see that as an extreme case," said J. Morkūnaitė.
Recommendations for residents
J. Morkūnaitė urges residents who have spotted or encountered a bear not to panic. According to her, trying to escape from the animal or shouting at it may encourage it to behave aggressively.
"Behave calmly. Brown bears are afraid of certain sounds. It's difficult to have a whistle with you, but sometimes sounds that are not too loud, but soft, emitting a certain sound, help. There may also be words that will help the brown bear not to approach, because it is more afraid of us than we are of it," explained J. Morkūnaitė.
"If the situation is such that you come face to face with a bear, then again, centers around the world recommend (...) just to slowly retreat. It is best not to turn your back, but to just slowly walk away from the brown bear. The most important thing is not to run and not scare it even more," she emphasized.
ELTA reminds that over the weekend a bear was spotted wandering near Vilnius, in Avižieniai, and later in the city itself. on Ukmergė streetOn Sunday, it was reported that the bear had left Vilnius, but it was later spotted in Riešė.
Because of this incident Vilnius district Mayor Robertas Duchnevičius appealed to the Ministry of the Environment, requesting that an operating mechanism be established that would provide for how relevant institutions and municipalities should react in similar cases.
According to Vilnius City Mayor Valdas Benkunskas, in order to control the situation, actions were initiated in several directions: it was decided to use thermal imaging drones, JUDU-controlled video surveillance cameras, and select available drones suitable for searching for the animal.
Austeja Paulauskaite, Vilius Narkunas (ELTA)
