Recent video footage from the Pyrenees has confirmed that bear cubs born in 2025 have survived their first winter, adding to signs of a slow but steady recovery of the area’s brown bear population.
The images show young bears born last year in Béarn, in good health, playing and scratching their backs against trees, a typical behaviour of cubs exploring their environment and establishing territorial habits.
video credit: Bordes-Uchentein (09): OFB / ONF / ROB
‘A growing population, but with risks’
The bear population in the Pyrenees has been increasing in recent years, said Jérôme Ouilhon, an educator with the conservation group Fonds d'Intervention Eco-Pastoral (FIEP) - Groupe Ours Pyrénées.
“There is a dynamic of life, with a little over 100 bears across the Pyrenees and an estimated increase of around 11% to 12% in recent years,” he said.
However, he warned that long-term genetic risks remain.
“Studies are currently looking at the risk of consanguinity [the condition of being blood-related, increasing the risk of genetic disorders], because most of the population comes from only a few founding individuals. In the long term, this could have a strong impact,” he added.
In the western Pyrenees, he estimates there are just over ten bears, which move between France and Spain, with regular cub births in recent years.
However, even though there are natural risks in their early life, including accidents and occasional the deliberate killing of a cub by adult males, Mr Ouilhon said recent observations suggest strong survival rates among cubs.
“We are seeing a very high survival rate among young bears in recent years. It is likely linked to favourable habitat conditions in the region,” he said.
video credit: Melles (31) : OFB / FDC 31/ ROB
How likely are you to encounter a bear and what to do if you do
“If you do come across a bear, the main advice is to stay calm and speak so it can identify you as a human. There is no need to run,” Mr Ouilhon said.
He explained that bears have excellent hearing and smell, but relatively poor vision, meaning they usually detect humans long before being seen.
“Bears are not aggressive toward humans. In fact, they tend to avoid us,” he added, noting that serious incidents involving hikers are virtually unheard of in the Pyrenees.
