Brown Bear Network News Today

Toulouse, France (AFP) April 2, 2024 - The population of brown bears in the Pyrenees mountains, which had been threatened with extinction, keeps growing, French authorities said Tuesday.

Some 83 brown bears and 16 bear cubs were recorded in the Pyrenees last year

The population of brown bears in France’s Pyrenees mountains has risen to levels not seen since the 1990s, authorities have said. Brown bears in the area were hunted almost to the point of extinction until three bears were released from a population in Slovenia in 1996 – making local sheep farmers furious. Since then, the population has grown steadily, with the French Biodiversity Office and its Brown Bear Network counting 83 bears and 16 cubs during the course of last year. Of tho...

A successful reintroduction program has seen the population of brown bears bounce back from verge of extinction 30 years ago. The large mammals are integral to preserving the ecosystem of the Pyrenees.