Iberianature » wildlife of the Pyrenees

Bears spotted close to Pyrenean tourist area

nick — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:55:42 +0000

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

The bear Hvala with cubs

nick — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 14:07:52 +0000

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

The Pyrenees need more bears

nick — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:25:50 +0000

A new French study has shown that at least 13 bears should be released in the Pyrenees in the near future if the species has any chance of becoming viable. La Mañana On another story, Camille, one of only two bears in Navarra has killed four sheep in Roncal, as he fattens up for hibernation. Here

Future of Pyrennean bears in doubt

nick — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:57:20 +0000

Without further reintroductions, the low number of bears in the Pyrenees (15-20 odd) make the conservation of the species inviable. For the time being, the French government has no plans to continue its reintroduction plans. Public support for bears in Catalonia is as high as 80%, but strong local opposition particularly in the Vall de Aran prevents any reintroduction programme from this side of the mountain range. Fapas from La Mañana de Llerida

Pyrenean bear map

nick — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:21:45 +0000

I thought this map from Fapas showing the latest bear numbers in the Pyrenees was interesting