A sighting of a bear on a popular hiking trail in the Pyrénées is reigniting the debate over their presence in the mountain range.
A brown bear was seen near Aulus-les-Bains (Ariège) on Saturday (March 21), close to the Ars waterfall.
Several hikers saw the bear, including children who were part of the group.
The video below shows the bear in woodland near the waterfall.
It was later caught on CCTV cameras of a property near the waterfall, but its exact location in the area remains unknown.
The video was posted by ASPAP (Association pour la Sauvegarde du Patrimoine d'Ariège-Pyrénées), a group that opposes the bear population in the Pyrénées mountain range.
“The ASPAP is asking for the emergency removal by the OFB [Office Français de la Biodiversité - French wildlife office] of this bear whose presence near one of the busiest trails in Ariège is a source of danger,” it said.
Comments on the social media post remain divided, with many arguing the bears should not be allowed to roam in the area.
“We must not forget the beekeepers whose hives are being raided by these bears, nor the livestock farmers who fear for their animals, their guard dogs, and their lives… One day, hiking will be impossible,” in Ariège, said one commenter.
Others, however, believe the bears are an important part of the local wildlife.
"Please do not share the location to protect this magnificent animal,” said another.
“A shame it is not in my area, I would like to go and see it,” said a third.
Hikers in the Ariège have previously been advised by local groups to stick strictly to hiking trails and wear fluorescent clothing to minimise the risk of coming across a bear.
Reintroduction controversy
These comments point to a wider debate over the issue of the brown bear population in the Pyrénées.
More than 100 bears currently live on the French side of the mountain range according to the OFB.
Some 22 cubs were born in 2024, and a report in December 2025 noted a further five litters on the French side of the mountains had been detected, further increasing numbers, with at least one other litter on the Spanish side.
Bears have lived in the mountain range for millenia, but were close to extinction in the late 20th century following hunting and the increased human activity.
In 1996 a reintroduction scheme was launched to boost the population, bringing Slovenian brown bears to the area.
The scheme has met with fierce opposition for 30 years, with instances of hunters shooting bears in acts they claim were self-defence.
In 2021, for example, an 81-year-old hunter was arrested after killing a female bear that he claimed attacked him. The hunter, who said he had no choice but to open fire when a brown bear attacked him while he was boar-hunting, was given a four-month suspended jail sentence by a court in Foix.
The 150kg bear he killed was since preserved by a taxidermist and put on display at the Toulouse Natural History Museum.
Opponents point to the danger for residents, tourists, hikers, and farmers from an increased bear presence, particularly as they can eat livestock that graze on the mountainside and wander onto trails.
The ASPAP claims that the Slovenian bears introduced to the mountain range are not adapted to the environment, and that the original Pyrénées population has become fully extinct.
“The French state is creating an artificial extension of the Balkan bear population in the Pyrenees, a population with no ecological value whatsoever,” it says on its website.
In addition, the group claims more than 10,000 animals have been killed by bears since the 1996 reintroduction.
“The number of shepherds has increased tenfold in 20 years, livestock farmers have equipped themselves with Patou dogs and fences, and beekeepers have electrified their hives: none of this prevents either the constant stress or the attacks.”
“The Pyrenees as we know them will die: transhumance, hiking, mushroom picking, hunting, trail running, mountain biking… Everywhere bears are introduced, human freedoms are taken away.
The Pyrenees are not comparable to the great American national parks. Our way of life, our culture, our jobs are in great danger.”
Support outside of mountains
Whilst opposition in Airège remains strong, however across France there is general support for the species’ conservation.
Polls conducted in 2018 by researchers IFOP saw 84% of the French population supported the protection of bears in France and a planned addition of two bears that year, including 78% of respondents in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and 70% in the Hautes-Pyrénées.
The bears were later introduced to the area via helicopter, after local opponents blocked roads.
A separate poll in June 2018 showed that 57% of people in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques wanted to see reintroduction programmes for animals such as bears and vultures limited in France.
