Andre Rives was in a no-hunting zone when he shot and killed a mother bear.
André Rives, an 81-year-old French hunter, is on trial after killing an endangered bear in the Pyrenees.
Newsweek has contacted the Ariège farmers’ union and an attorney representing several bear charities.Why It Matters
According to the French Biodiversity Agency, in 2023, there were more than 80 bears in the Pyrenees, a chain of mountains in southwestern Europe that borders France and Spain. The brown bear is a protected species in the mountain range.
Brown bears had almost entirely disappeared from the Pyrenees before France began a reintroduction program in the 1990s, bringing bears in from Slovenia. Conflict has existed between the pro-bear lobby and farmers and hunters ever since, as farmers argue that bears threaten their livestock.What To Know
In November 2021, Rives was boar-hunting when he encountered several bears. After two cubs emerged from the woods, a female bear nicknamed Caramelles charged at Rives and dragged him several meters.
