The 14-month-old bear Tanie has been living in a rewilding enclosure at the La Tanière zoo-refuge in Nogent-le-Phaye (Eure-et-Loir), near Chartres. Tanie's mother had probably been killed by poachers.
"If we hadn't intervened a year ago, she would have died," recalls Patrick Violas, the owner of the sanctuary. The bear is wild, even potentially dangerous, confides the director when it is time to "arrow" the animal. 'If unfortunately she charges us and grabs our leg, we won't have any more. It's extremely powerful!' warns the specialist, rifle in hand. The young bear does not fall asleep, a necessary step to put her in a cage before transporting her by truck to the mountains of the Jura Vaudois.