A BEAR was being released in secrecy in the French Pyrenees last night, after protesters disrupted the first phase of a conservation operation backed by President Chirac but opposed by local farmers.

Nature campaigners, television crews and Nelly Olin, the Environment Minister, were on hand at the village of Arbas to greet “Palouma”, the bear that was captured in a Slovenian forest on Monday and driven to France in a van. However, demonstrators from local farmers’ organisations emerged from the woods making noise with bells and horns, forcing officials to take the animal away to a secret place for a night-time release.

The demonstrators broke through a police cordon as a Gendarmerie helicopter hovered over the scene in an attempt to ensure the bear’s safe arrival into the Massif Paloumère, a 4,500ft (1,370m) mountain above Arbas.

Palouma, aged about 4, is equipped with a satellite tracker that will relay her whereabouts for about two years.

The village was the scene of a violent demonstration on April 1, in which farmers and anti-bear activists, angry at the introduction of what they see as a menace to sheep and people, attacked the mayor’s office.

Five Slovenian brown bears — European Ursus arctos — are being introduced to the French side of the mountains as part of a Franco-Spanish operation to save a population that has dwindled to about 20.

Farmers’ tempers have flared over the past month after Boutxy, a 200kg (440lb), nine-year-old bear killed at least five sheep and raided seven beehives.

Boutxy is the son of Cannelle, a female whose death at the hands of a hunter in 2004 was called an “ecological disaster” by M Chirac.

The forestry service is attempting to frighten off Boutxy, who is said by experts to be unusually daring in his attacks close to human habitation. Mme Olin said that in 150 years no one had been attacked by a Pyrenean bear. However, her ministry is issuing guidelines on encountering a bear.

Fifteen bears are to be released in coming years on both sides of the Pyrenees. Campaigners greeted the arrival of the first with joy.

Alain Reynes, director of the Pyrenees Development Agency, said: “Today is a day for celebration.”

Kept away from the release, anti-bear campaigners said that they would stage a protest. Stephane Lessieux, of the Heritage Association of the Ariège-Pyrenees, said that the State had ignored residents.

“The steamroller rolls on despite our arguments and our appeal to the Council of State,” she said.

ENDANGERED

1937 200 bears living in Pyrenees

1957 Bear hunting outlawed

1982 President Mitterrand appeals for Pyrenean bear population to be saved

1995 Only six bears left

1996 Three bears are brought from Slovenia

1997 Melba, one of the three, is accidentally killed

2000 Ziva, another Slovenian, has two cubs

2004 Papillon, the oldest bear, dies of old age

2004 Cannelle, the last native bear, is killed. About 20 left in all Pyrenees

April 2006 Boutxy, son of Cannelle, kills sheep and steals honey

April 25, 2006 The first of five Slovenian bears arrives

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