Archive for the ‘bears’ Category
Summer love
Friday, September 30th, 2011
Lisa over at picosdeeuropa.com has an interesting account of how at least one pair of Cantabrian bears has bred later in the year, in late August, instead of May-June, presumably because of climate change. More here
Injured bear found in Asturias
Sunday, April 10th, 2011
Latest from Lisa on an injured bear found in Asturias (includes video).
Basque cave painting of bears
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
Rather wonderful cave painting from Ekain in the Basque County of two bears. They apparantly represent brown not cave bears. They date from 14,500-10,000 years ago.
More in English and how to visit a nearby replica here. Pictures from here.
The last autochthonous Pyrenean bear dead?
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
It appears that Camille, the last autochthonous Pyrenean bear, may have died, after 9 months without any sign of him. His death at the age of 20 comes as no surprise but is a sad symbol of the disappearance of bears in the range. Now the hope lies in the 20 or so bears which have introduced (or born of introduced animals) in the Pyrenees by the French government from Slovenia. In the photo Camille sits next to the tasty feast of a dead wild boar, somewhere in the Navarran Pyrenees. 20 minutos
This article from Wildlife Extra is also interesting. New research suggests Cantabrian female brown bears do not hibernate while cubs are still young proves anecdotal evidence first recorded many centuries ago.
Bear breeding success in Pyrenees
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Bears in the Pyrenees have had their best breeding year for decades this year with two females raisning two cubs each, in territories between Vall d’Aran and y los departamentos franceses de Ariège y Alto Garona. El Periódico
Bears spotted close to Pyrenean tourist area
Friday, July 2nd, 2010
Three bears have been spotted by wildlife photographer Oriol Alemany close to a tourist area in the Vall d’Aran. The two sub-adults and one adult are almost certainly Hvala and her offspring Nhèu’ y ‘Noisette’. The animals are being tracked to reduce the risk of tourists disturbing them. Here France wants Cantabrian bears for Pyrenees
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
France has asked the Spanish government for Cantabrian bears to help repopulate the Pyrenees, where less than 20 animals survive. Given the fragile state of the Cantabrian population this is unlikely to be agreed. La Crónica Verde
In the photo the bear called Camille sits next to the tasty feast of a dead wild boar, somewhere in the Pyrenees.
The bear Hvala with cubs
Sunday, June 6th, 2010
Latest news on the bear Hvala, the bear which kicked up such a fuss last year in the Vall d’Arán. Glad to see she’s alive and with cubs.
“Voila! Hvala!” exclaims Pierre-Yves Quenette, standing in a snowy clearing in the forests outside of Pyrénées National Park. He’s reading a message on his cell phone. Hvala, a 200-pound brown bear with two cubs, has been found. National Geographic
April roundup
Friday, April 30th, 2010
Apologies to regular readers of iberianature as other commitments have prevented me from updating the blog as much as I should.
Here are a few interesting stories I’ve not had time to report on in April:
Bears, lynx and wolves
- Outlook for bears in the Cantabrian Mountains is optimistic (above photo)
- Book published on bears in the Pyrenees
- Excellent new bear photos here
- FAPAS considers bears to have recovered in Proaza
- Another attempt to get Furaco, Paca and Tola to breed
- Wolf tourism could generate 3 million euros in Zamora
- Fourth birth of captive lynxes at ‘La Olivilla’ centre
Other stories
Bears in O Courel
Sunday, April 11th, 2010
A female bear with cubs has been detected in O Courel in Galicia
O Courel could potentially represent an area of expansion for bears, though deforestation is an issue in the area.
Documentary about bears
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
Interesting documentary from TVE about bears in the Cordillera Cantábrica with Guillermo Palomero, President of Fundación Oso Pardo. Watch here Interview with Roberto Hartasánchez
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
Interview with Roberto Hartasánchez, the president of FAPAS on Spanish National radio. An interesting ten minute overview of bears, the serious impact of the disappearance of bees, and the state of conservation of the Cantabrian Mountains in general. Listen here.
Good news from Palencia
Saturday, December 5th, 2009
A “new” reproductive female bear with two cubs has been found in Palencia, part of the beleaguered Eastern Cantabrian bear population. With only 30 odd individuals, this population is in a critical state, with at the last count, only two breeding females. In 2008 three cubs were born to the two females only one of which survived, one having been lost to infanticide and the other dying from unknown causes. This discovery of a third female and her two cubs of this year is raises hope for the bears’ future in this region. From Lisa on PicosdeEuropa and originally from nortecastilla.es. (above photo with bear and cubs). This autumn have may been a good one for Cantabrian bears thanks to the mild conditions and plentiful fruit. Contrasting attitudes towards bears
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
Interesting long article on bears in El Pais contrasting the acceptance of bears in Asturias with the general opposition in the Pyrenees. Read
Villarina doing well
Friday, November 20th, 2009
Villarina the bear cub discovered by tourists in Somiedo and later returned to the wild is doing well a year later, having survived last year’s harsh winter without the experince gained from its mother. She is apparentlly healthy, fat and weighing some 50kg. More from Fapas
