- In Pau, Emmanuel Macron caressed the Pyrenean breeders in the direction of the hair.
- He promised not to reintroduce bears in the massif before the end of his mandate.
The promise is oral, but the shepherds make it their honey. Tuesday, on the occasion of his visit to Pau, in Béarn, the President of the Republic met an agricultural delegation. Among the ranks of this offshoot of pastoralism were the main opponents of the bear, such as Philippe Lacube, the president of the Ariège chamber of agriculture, a department or some 1,100 animals - mainly sheep - perished in 2019 in following bear attacks.
There has been no official communication from the Elysée on the subject but the statements of the participants are enthusiastic. Emmanuel Macron has committed not to reintroduce bears in the Pyrenees before the end of his mandate, therefore to stop the Bear plan, the term of which is set for 2028.
Always an expert on the Pyrenean plantigrades, the President also promised to "take out" the bears which are distinguished by their ferocity.
By stroking the shepherds in the direction of the hair, the head of state obviously displeased the bear defenders. On its Facebook page, the association Pays de l'Ours-Adet, puts this victory of the opponents into perspective. “Let us be very clear: there will be new releases of bears in the Pyrenees. "The President's commitment" only applies to the current mandate, but France cannot derogate from the legal obligation to restore a viable bear population in the Pyrenees, "she underlines.
The last reintroductions took place in autumn 2018 in Béarn, with the arrival of the Slovenian bears Sorita and Claverina. The Ursine population of the massif, which is enriched each year with new "native" cubs, includes around fifty individuals.
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- Emmanuel Macron
- Bear
- biodiversity
- Pyrenees
- Planet