Specialized personnel from the body of Rural Agents of the Generalitat, the Department of Climate Action, Mossos d’Esquadra and Catalan Forestry are participating this week in a second intervention to try to scare away the young bear that has been walking relatively calmly in a area close to the Port of Bonaigua, including the C-28 road in the Alt Àneu municipality.
A first intervention of this type occurred on June 16, after evidence was obtained -even with filming of drivers passing through the area- that the animal showed such a trusting attitude in the face of human presence that it could endanger its life. own safety, that of people who could access the area or vehicle traffic.
The action to scare the unsuspecting young bear (“aversive conditioning”, in technical terms) is carried out following a protocol approved in 2018 for intervention with bears in the Pyrenees, which until now had never been activated for this type of situation ( excessively trusting presence of animals in the presence of humans).
The procedure applied on June 16 does not seem to have been effective and the animal has been observed and filmed again, so the protocol has been applied in what could be considered a second degree. If the first performance focused on noises in the form of small explosions or blank shots, rubber bullets were used in the second phase. And according to those responsible for this action, there is evidence that the trusting young bear has received some impact from these rubber balls, presumably without causing considerable damage.
The bear presents a daytime behavior that could be expected in a juvenile specimen like this but its presence in an area like Bonaigua, even going as far as to roam the road makes intervention necessary, Nico Espinós, Fauna service technician, explained to La Vanguardia of the Climate Action department that participates in the operation.
After this second performance, and the blows received, we will wait to see how the young bear will react and if it will return to a discreet, elusive behavior and far from humans as occurs with the rest of the specimens present in the Pyrenees.
Technicians from the Generalitat have taken samples of the animal’s hair and feces for genetic analysis and determination of the animal’s identity. It is not ruled out that it is the specimen known as Titan, son of the bear Caramelles, who was shot dead by a hunter in Seix (Ariège, France) in November 2021, leaving two cubs orphaned, one of which would be the now observed in Bonaigua.
