One of our bears is missing. . .

There’s more news on the bears in the Pyrénées. Rumours continue to spread since spring that two of them have been killed by unknown members of the anti-bear fraternity. The Procureur of Ariège, an official similar to a public prosecutor or district attorney, has launched an enquiry to identify which bears are missing and to hear any witnesses.

Pyrenean locals remark that normally you can’t find a gendarme when you need one but suddenly they’re everywhere searching for missing bears. It’s true that the boys and girls in blue are more present on the ground and in the air, not to mention foresters, research scientists, mountain guides and conservation professionals.

They’re not looking for bears but a bear, called Boutxy. He’s not been seen since May. All the others are accounted for and believed to be in good health.

How do we know this? All the bears on the French side of the mountains have been deliberately released there after being captured in Slovenia. Each bear has a satellite transmitter implanted in its stomach cavity before being released and also wears a radio collar. The collar allows researchers to ensure that the release went well by tracking the bear through the forest using a hand-held receiver. It will automatically fall off after a year or so.

While the implanted transmitter is less accurate, it emits a satellite signal until its battery expires after about three years. After that it’s all down to pooh...the kind that you see on the ground, rather than the children’s character.

Before releasing a bear, scientists take a DNA sample which will be kept in a laboratory in Toulouse. Anyone finding bear traces, such as hair or droppings, can hand them in to the authorities. DNA analysis tells them which bear left the evidence. Looking at the state of decomposition of the droppings tells them when the sample was produced. One way or another they know which bear was where and when, except for Boutxy. . .

It’s true that Boutxy has been a prime suspect of attacks on sheep and that this may have provoked the more extreme members of the farming or hunting communities. So far, the procureur has summoned 30 people to give statements. Most have proved to be mere rumour and hearsay. That’s why the gendarmes are out looking for the body.

Anyone successfully prosecuted for deliberately killing a bear faces six months in prison and a heavy fine. The authorities inform hunters when a bear is present in their area. This was the case in 2004 when René Marqueze, a hunter, shot Canelle in 2004. She was the last native Pyrénéan bear.

Marqueze convinced the judge that he acted in self-defence and he was acquitted. So conservation organisations successfully sued him in the civil court for 10,000 Euros.

I wonder about that judge in the Marqueze case. . .

Photo: Canelle makes her last journey