Twenty years after the death of the bear Cannelle, the event finds another echo in the Aspe valley and in the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, this November 1, 2024. The last bear of Pyrenean stock was killed above Urdos while hunters and their dogs were leading a wild boar hunt. Cannelle was shot dead by René Marquèze but had first been seen by Francis Claverie. This Urdos resident promises he will never forget.
Hunters “pointed out” for a long time
“It was difficult because we were singled out“, breathes Francis Claverie, wool sweater on his back. The Béarnais is sitting at the table, his hands on his knees. “I received mail – I don't know from whom, there was never a name – wishing me the death of my children. It's madness. Every year, for ten years, I received mail on the anniversary of Cannelle's death. The town hall and the Hôtel des Voyageurs also received mail and death threats because of the bear. And no one talks about it. Even among us hunters, we don't talk about it.”
loading
This crushing silence inherent to the affair becomes heavier as we progress through the Aspe valley. Many doors remain closed at the mention of Cannelle's death. Francis Claverie opened his, the dining room was lit, his eyes too. The Béarnais wanted to share his story with anyone who still wanted to hear it. The hunt, the cries of fox terriers and bears, the smell of fear, blood and doubt.
“The bear came towards him, he fell into the cliff”
“November 1st, I remember it very well. I was tracking foxes, I was going down a sloping path and the others were posted on the ridge. I heard the dog barking and thought it was a wild boar. So I went down and all of a sudden I saw a bear coming out. The bear caught the dog. I had a three-shot rifle, I shot it in the air. She came towards me, I took off my jacket and threw it on her. I fired my gun into the air and went to warn the others. It's scary.”
loading
“I was running backcontinues Francis Claverie, almost out of breath. The friend, René Marquèze, was stationed at the top of a cliff, at the foot of a corridor. He heard me scream, he heard the dog. The bear came towards him, he fell into the cliff and stopped on a boxwood. When she passed, he shot her, he killed her.” The bullet hit Cannelle in the ribs, in the femoral artery. The animal died a little further down.
Cannelle's remains found, the bear transported to Toulouse
The hunters were in shock, stunned, remembers Francis Claverie. “What was to be done? Everyone was asking the question. I said we had to call the mayor, the ONCFS guards arrived. I looked for blood, I found the blood and then I found the remains further down. She was already being eaten by vultures. It was terrible. But hey, it's done, it's done.”
loading
At the time, the news caused reactions throughout the Pyrenees but also in Paris. In the council of ministers, Jacques Chirac deplored the death of the last female bear of Pyrenean stock and had estimated that it was “a great loss for biodiversity“. The carcass of the bear was airlifted to Toulouse, to the veterinary school. The bear was autopsied and an investigation carried out. The trial was held in 2008. The hunter René Marquèze is acquitted of criminal charges but sentenced to civil charges to pay 10,000 euros to compensate nature protection associations.
Despite the bear located in Urdos, the wild boar hunt was maintained
Rain and wind have long since washed the RN 134 of red graffiti accusing hunters of “big idiots“However, Francis Claverie feels the need to repeat that he had never seen a bear in this place.”Supposedly Gérard Caussimont from the eco-pastoral intervention fund found me in the mountains, he told me “ Be careful, there is Cinnamon in such a place! », But we must not forget that Cannelle was next to a shepherds' hut in Cet-Eygun. A guard filmed her every day. He told everyone. Between 200 and 300 people went up and Cannelle passed here, she went to the National Park and she came back. She was disturbed, well! There were people constantly bothering him. Nobody says that, they don't want to say it because it's their fault.”
loading
The lawyer for environmental associations, Me Jean-François Blanco, recalls that the hunters had also been informed by the Hunting Federation of the presence of the bear, they had received instructions not to go hunting for wild boars.
