Bear shot in deadly encounter in French Pyrenees sparks outrage

Bears are being shot illegally in the French-Spanish borders. Photo / French Minister Elisabeth Borne

A seventy-year-old man is fighting for his life after being mauled by a brown bear in the French Pyrenees this weekend. The bear was shot dead in the encounter.

The local man was hunting boar near the town of Seix en Ariège, when he came across young bear cubs.

The hunter was ambushed "from behind" by a large male bear reported Le Figaro and was severely injured in the encounter. The bear was shot dead in the encounter but not before inflicting injuries including broken bones, shredded calves and arterial bleeding.

"The bear dragged him more than 30m," president of the Hunting Federation of Ariège, Jean-Luc Fernandez, told local reporters.

"Fortunately he was able to keep his rifle and was able to defend himself."

The unnamed hunter was transferred to Toulouse University Hospital by the French Gendarmerie mountain rescue.

There was no news as to what happened to the bear's cubs.

Un ours a été découvert aujourd’hui en Ariège, abattu par balles. L’ours est une espèce protégée, cet acte est illégal et profondément condamnable. La préfète s’est rendue sur place. L’Etat va porter plainte. pic.twitter.com/tlMPzmsvyf

— Elisabeth BORNE (@Elisabeth_Borne) June 9, 2020

Regional government and campaigners voiced anger over the death of the animal, which was estimated to be five years old weighing 175kg.

Bear encounters are becoming common in the mountainous Spanish-French borders.

Locals say that peaceful coexistence is failing after three previous encounters left bears dead in mountains.

Two of the bears were shot on the French side of the border, two in Spain. Most of these animals are killed illegally, says the Pays de l'Ours 'Land of the Bears' association.

The association has been working for 30 years to reintroduce the animals to the region from Slovakia.

The Pays de l'Ours have worked to introduce a population of under 70 bears to the region. Photo / Supplied

"We ask that light be shed on the circumstances of this event and also that it lead to training for hunters. We have to draw the consequences," says president Sabine Matraire.

Pays de l'Ours works with local tour operators to offer guided day hikes in the region tracking the bears with guides from the Brown Bear Network.

There are reportedly 64 adult brown bears in the central region of the Pyrenees conservation area.