Hunter accused of killing endangered mother bear demands self-defense at French trial

An 81-year-old French hunter was on trial on Tuesday and was accused of killing an endangered female bear that attacked him in the Pyrenees.

Brown bears are protected species in the mountains, separating France and Spain.

Andre Rives was hunting wild boars when a female bear nicknamed Caramel attacked him.

On November 20, 2021, two bear cubs appeared from the woods by the river. Their mother then showed up, accusing him and dragging him for a few yards. He shot and killed the animal.

Reves suffered a leg injury and was in shock. A hunter managed to stop the bleeding before being evacuated by a helicopter.

According to the investigation, the bear was killed 1,300 feet outside an authorized hunting area.

The case caused a commotion in the Arigate, and the hunters held a demonstration in support of the Rives.

“This is not an anti-forge or a pro-bear trial,” said presided judge Sun Yung Lazare, who said Switzerland was being tried for “destroying protected species.”

When the Cubs showed up, “I looked at them with admiration,” Reev said in court. “I made myself very young. Then my mother saw me. Our eyes met, she pointed.”

He said he had no choice but to shoot.

He added: “She grabbed my left thigh and I panicked and fired. She stepped back and she walked around and bit my right calf and I fell down and she was eating my legs.” “I reloaded the rifle and fired.”

“Bears are threatened by extinction”

15 other hunters were also prosecuted for various crimes, including hunting at the Monte Valier Nature Reserve, one of the oldest reserves in the Pyrenees.

About 20 associations filed lawsuits.

Rives killed the bear in self-defense, said Jean-Luc Fernandez, president of the local hunting federation.

“He fired,” he said. “Would he let her do it? No, he saved his skin.”

Hunters also believe that the reserves are not well marked.

One said, “You never know where you are.”

Photos displayed at the hearing show almost invisible signs – Red RS is used for reserves of painted trees on them.

Prosecutor Olivier Mouysset retorted: “The obligation as a hunter is to know where you hunt.”

Activists argue about the concept of self-defense.

“To what extent can people argue when people commit a series of crimes that cause the death of bear tar?” Alain Reynes of the Bear Conservation Society pays. According to the group, in 2023, 83 bears were found in the Pyrenees, with 11 women born.

Animal rights activists believe bears are an integral part of maintaining a fragile mountain ecosystem threatened by human activities and climate change.

Before France began reintroducing plans in the 1990s, bears almost disappeared from the mountains and were imported from Slovenia.

However, the existence of bears has led to aggravation of tensions with farmers due to the threat to livestock.

Julie Rover, an attorney representing some associations, said animal rights activists want to send messages.

“They are not against hunting, but to avoid damaging the environment, their rules must be respected,” Rover said.

“Bears are threatened by extinction – the disappearance of breeding women is serious.”

There is similar controversy surrounding brown bears. Last year, an alpine Italian province confirmed Kill the female bear People believe responsible for attacks on French hikers – despite protests by animal rights activists

It marks the ninth incidence of human aggression, as brown bears were reintroduced into the province in 1999 as part of the EU project, the first since hikers were killed last summer.

In September 2023, one person shot Kill an endangered brown bear Her two young cubs left anger in the country near an Italian national park. The park posted a graphic image of the bear dying on the ground.

Earlier in 2023, the Administrative Court ruling saved Brown bear fatally attacking runners On a mountain trail in the alpine region of Italy.