Shepherds against Pyrenees bear plan

FARMERS and shepherds have fiercely attacked the resurrection of plans to stop indigenous bears dying out in the Pyrénées.

They claimed they had been tricked when the then ecology minister, Chantal Jouanno, said last July that plans to introduce a female European brown bear were being abandoned.

About 20 bears live across the mountains, but there are fears that they will die out, prompting moves by wildlife lovers (including Carla Bruni-Sarkozy) to call for their reintroduction.

Anti-bear protesters had said that, after Ms Jouanno's comments, people ignored a public consultation: only 7,000 voted against, while wildlife groups mustered a 16,000-name petition.

Ecology minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet has now been sent the results.

Ariège conseil-général president Augustin Bonrepaux said they did not want the Pyrenées turned into a national park.

Allowing reintroduction of the bears could "set to the Pyrénées alight", he said.