French Pyrenees: bad news bears
14th May 2009
“In spring 2006 the French government arranged for three bears from Slovenia to be released into the forests near Arbas,” Arcangeli tells me. “Two others were released near other villages. Gendarmerie intelligence warned us that there might be a few protesters, mostly farmers worried about their sheep being attacked. But 250 turned up, smashing anything they could find outside the town hall, trying to break in, spraying paint and throwing bottles of blood. Eighty gendarmes tried to keep order.”
The plan, agreed between Spain, France and Andorra, had been to introduce 15 bears over three years but since the Arbas riots no more have been released.
I guess the protests worked.
May 14th, 2009 at 12:28
Drive around on the French side of the Pyrenees and you’ll see the phrase “Non Ours” painted on the roads pretty regularly.
May 14th, 2009 at 18:26
Sorry, but I don’t have a Frog in this fight.