Many of the demonstrators wore the black berets traditional in the region and carried shepherds' staffs. They were supported by a dozen mayors from the region wearing their sashes of office.
Philippe Lacube, the spokesman for an association campaigning to prevent the release of the bears, said the government ignored reality, calling the bear "the enemy of pastoral agriculture and mountain tourism."
There are currently up to 18 bears in the Pyrenees, which straddle the frontier between France and Spain, including some already brought in from Slovenia in 1996 and 1997.
The shooting by a hunter of the last surviving female Pyrenean bear provoked fury among environmentalists and led to a promise by the government to double the bear population in the Pyrenees in the next three years.
Olin said last year that the government would set up mechanisms to monitor the effects of the project and introduce measures to protect and help farmers.
Arcangeli said the bears were neither a danger nor a big problem.
"Bears are responsible for one percent of the 15,000 to 20,000 sheep lost each year by stockholders in the region," the mayor said.
But farmer Olivier Ralu said that only the other night a bear tried to attack sheep in his region, which were protected by an electrified fence. He said a male bear "regularly" kills sheep in the surroundings, and other farmers said there was no hope of "peaceful cohabitation" with the animals.
Arcangeli accused the farmers of making the bears a scapegoat for the problems in their sector.
"A handful of hooligans (are) ready for any misdeed, but I notice that the opponents of the bears are becoming fewer and fewer," he said.
Name: Brown Bear (
Ursus arctos)
Primary Classification: Ursida (Bears)
Location: Mainly Canada, Alaska and Russia. Also Europe, Syria, northern India, the continental United States and other countries.
Habitat: A variety of habitats, preferring open areas such as tundra, alpine meadows and coastlines.
Diet: Mainly vegetation, including grasses, roots, moss, bulbs and tubers. Also insects, fungus, small mammals, salmon and carrion.
Size: Averages 5 to 9 ft from head to rump and 200 to 1,700 lbs in weight.
Description: Dense, dark brown fur; small, amber-colored eyes; broad, black nose; small, round ears; shoulder hump; long, curved, nonretractable claws.
Cool Facts: It has some of the largest olfactory membranes in the animal kingdom, allowing it to detect scents from over a mile away. It uses its claws to dig for roots and tubers, excavate small mammals from their burrows, dig depressions in the ground for resting and to mark trees, communicating territorial boundaries and reproductive status.
Conservation Status: Common, but threatened in some parts of its range.
Major Threat(s): Habitat loss and poaching.
What Can I Do?: Visit
Bear Trust International and
Ursus International Conservation Institute for information on how you can help.
