Residents of Cekule report that bears have been regularly spotted near the village and on the roads that children take daily to the bus stop. This is reported by the show Bez Tabu ([TV3](https://tv3.lv/beztabu/zverudarzs/ka-es-tagad-varu-palaist-savu-bernu-uz-skolu-kajam-cekules-iedzivotaji-uztraukti-par-lacu-klatesamibu-tuvu-ciemam/)). According to local residents, the predators are no longer exclusively staying deep in the forest and are increasingly appearing near residential houses. One of the latest incidents particularly alarmed the residents: teenagers returning home on ATVs reported that a bear chased after them. Upon learning this, local resident Roman went to meet them. Cekule resident Julia stated that the children spotted a bear about a hundred meters from their home, turned around, and ran screaming to the nearest house. > "They managed to run into a neighbor's house. The children say that the bear ran after them. After that, they refused to go home on the ATVs — they were very scared," she said. According to the woman, the most concerning part is the route schoolchildren take from the bus stop to the village. They have to walk about a kilometer through the forest, where, as local residents claim, bears are now encountered more frequently. Julia herself has also seen the animals several times. > "A bear cub ran across the road in front of my car. Luckily, I was in the vehicle. Now the question arises: how to let a child walk to school? While I am at home, I can drive him. But what about parents who work?" she says. Local residents hope that the situation will be carefully studied by the responsible authorities, as encounters with large predators are becoming a cause for concern in several families. At the same time, specialists urge not to panic. As the zoologist explained, the brown bear does not consider humans as prey and usually avoids encounters with people. However, if the animal feels threatened for itself or its cubs, it may defend itself. Therefore, when encountering a bear, it is important to remain calm, not approach it, and allow it to leave. In recent years, reports of brown bears appearing in various regions of Latvia have become increasingly frequent. Specialists attribute this to the growth of the population and the expansion of the animals' range. Experts remind that when encountering a bear, the main thing is not to approach the animal and not to try to scare it away, but to calmly leave the encounter area.
