‘Problem’ bear could be moved to another area or shot
Officials in France and Spain are considering what to do about a bear which has taken to killing horses, sheep and goats and raiding bee-hives as it roams through the Pyrenees.
Released on the Spanish side of the mountains in 2016, ‘Goiat’ was brought to the region from Slovenia as part of an EU-backed project to consolidate the bear population in the mountains. The animal’s attacks have mainly been in the Val d’Aran which runs down on the Spanish side of the border.
From a population of three bears in 1995, when the project to reintroduce bears was launched, the number in the Pyrenees has risen to 43, however the scheme has caused controversy over the years, with shepherds worried about risks to their flocks.
Part of the bear programme involves training shepherds how to guard their flocks and compensates them when bears do attack. Associations formed to encourage the bears’ return say they boost the natural ecosystem and encourage tourism.
Opposition in Spain, which has more bears than France, had been less intense than in France, but the attacks by Goiat (‘lad’ in Catalan) have led to calls for action to deal with the ‘problem’ bear.
Mónica Martínez from the Catalan regional government said: “We have to make sure that one bear will not put in peril the 20 years of work consolidating the bear population in the Pyrenees.
“It is for this reason, that at a high level, we are considering whether it should be removed from its environment.”
So far this year, Goiat has attacked six adult horses, four colts, four sheep and a goat, as well as destroying two beehives, all on the Spanish side of the border.
Wildlife rangers have been able to confirm the bear was in the area of the attacks, because it is still wearing the GPS tracking collar fitted when it was released. The device shows that Goiat has also wandered into France on numerous occasions but does not appear to have made any attacks on the French side of the Pyrenees.
Officials say that the bear has never shown any aggression towards or interest in humans.
If it is decided that action has to be taken Goiat might be sedated and moved to another area, or might be shot.
Ms Martínez said the bear’s behaviour, especially attacking horses and colts and eating them, was abnormal. It is usual for horses and colts to be left to forage freely in the Val d’Aran.
