The brown bear population in the Pyrenees continues to grow.
A total of 96 individuals were counted in 2024, which is six more than in the previous year, according to Spain’s brown bear foundation (Fundación Oso Pardo – FOP).
The FOP reported that 22 cubs were born last year.
It should be noted that the brown bears in the Pyrenees are not native Iberian bears.
During the 1990s brown bears were brought to the mountain chain from Eastern Europe to reestablish a colony after the original population was decimated by hunters.
These bears are larger than the native brown bears which live in Asturias, Castilla y León, Galicia and Cantabria; around 400 of these Iberian bears are expanding their range thanks to the conservation efforts of NGOs such as the FOP and regional governments.
The FOP explain that the Pyrenees brown bears occupied an area spanning some 7,200 km² in 2024, which is 100 km² more than in 2023 and 1,500 km² more than in 2022.
They inhabit border zones in France and Spain and are monitored by the governments of France, Andorra, Catalunya, Val d’Aran, Aragón and Navarra.
The FOP noted that during the 2024 census, forest rangers had spotted a famous old male bear named Neré, who hadn’t been seen for years.
He was born in the Pyrenees in 1997, one of the first cubs to come from the reintroduction programme.
Despite his age, he became a father again last year, reported the FOP.
He is also a grandfather, they added.
“This reaffirmed the key role he has played in the conservation and genetic strengthening of the Pyrenees population,” stated the FOP.
Photos: Generalitat de Catalunya
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