Brown bear population in Pyrenees highest for a century, says study

Brown bears were near extinct in the Pyrenees until the scheme introduced new animals to the region from Slovenia in 1996. Photograph: Stefan Korshak/EPA

A scheme to reintroduce brown bears to the Pyrenees is showing signs of success, with 70 individuals identified in 2021, the highest number for a century.

The population has increased from 52 in 2018, according to figures produced by the cross-border group that monitors the bears in France and Spain, with half the creatures living in the Catalan Pyrenean regions of Vall d’Aran, Pallars Sobirà and Alta Ribagorça. Overall, the population is thinly spread over an area of 6,500 sq km.