Bear cubs born in Pyrénées

TWO bear cubs have been born in the Pyrénées, making a possible total of 24 bears in the mountains.

A hidden automatic camera caught mother Hvala and the two cubs on the Spanish side of the border at Val d'Aran at the end of last month, with the cubs seen climbing a tree.

They were probably born in January or February and are thought to weigh around eight or 10 kilos. They are the first live cubs to be seen this year after one was found dead after the floods in spring.

Hvala, a bear originally from Slovenia, was released into the wild in the Pyrénées in 2006 as part of a bid to increase bear numbers.

There are too few bears to make a viable population – which would need more than 100 bears across the Pyrénées to avoid problems of inbreeding – but there are already too many for local farmers and shepherds who blame them for attacks on flocks.

See more photos here: Conselh Generau d’Aran

Photo: Conselh Generau d’Aran