Bear and cub filmed on rare daylight stroll
A mother bear and cub were caught on camera while out foraging in a mountain forest in the French Pyrenees.
The fixed camera, set up by the Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage (the national forestry and hunting agency, ONCFS), was trained on a path often used by bears near Melles in the Haute-Garonne.
The cub is just 13 months old and is the result of decades of work reintroducing brown bears to the Pyrenees. The film was shot by the ONCFS bear network and is a rare sighting as the bears are mainly nocturnal and shy away from human contact.
The bear population in the Central Pyrenees reached a record 39 animals in 2016, including 10 new cubs. The figures, which are the highest since bears were reintroduced from Slovenia in 2005, have been welcomed by animal conservationists.
Sheep farmers, however, continue to decry attacks on their animals, which they say can result in losing up to 10% of the herd.
Walkers are highly unlikely to meet a bear in the Pyrenees, however; they are largely nocturnal and avoid human contact if at all possible. If you do spot one, do not attempt to approach or track it. Keep dogs at heel and move slowly away.
