An 81-year-old hunter has actually gone on trial for eliminating a secured brown bear that assaulted him and trampled both of his legs.
André Rives was boar searching with 15 others in the Pyrenees when he observed 2 bear cubs throughout the November 2021 occurrence, Le Parisien reported.
” I had no option however to deal with a bear that was going to consume me,” he informed a court in France, describing that he had actually been targeted by the cubs’ mom. The pensioner stated he was gotten and dragged by the bear as he attempted to eliminate her off.
” Our eyes fulfilled and after that she charged me,” he informed the court. She got my left thigh, I worried and fired a shot from my rifle. She pulled back growling, walked around me and bit my ideal calf. I fell, she was consuming my leg. I re-cocked my rifle and fired.”
Rives is on trial along with the other members of the searching celebration. The hunters were questioned about why they remained in a nature reserve, and argued the markings were unclear.
The authorities examination discovered that the bear, called Caramelle, was eliminated 400 metres beyond the authorised searching location, according to Le Parisien.
Rives has actually been prohibited from searching given that the occasion, however stated he would like his rifle back so he might continue his pastime with his buddies.
He confronts 3 years in jail for the bear’s death and a EUR150,000 (₤ 126,000) fine for the damage of a secured types, Le Parisien reports, while the other hunters deal with fines for shooting without authorisation in a state reserve.
Judge Sun Yung Lazare stated the trial was not a “pro-shooting or anti-shooting” trial, however rather a trial to choose whether a bear had actually been unlawfully eliminated.
Environmental and animal security groups have actually likewise participated in the case.
Alain Reynes, President of the Bear Nation Association, informed Le Parisien it was simple to target the hunter in this trial however the essential concern was whether the group had actually appreciated the searching info and training that is offered.
The One Voice Association argued that signs in the location was clear, and the hunters need to not have actually gone near Caramelles’ area.
Brown bears are a threatened types in the Pyrenees, however given that a reintroduction program that started in the 1990s their numbers have actually grown, from 76 bears in 2022 to a minimum of 83 bears in 2023, Phys Org reports the French Biodiversity Firm as stating.
Caramelles has actually been protected in taxidermy by the Toulouse Nature Museum, Le Parisien included.