Some 370 bears live in the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain, according to an unpublished census unveiled on Tuesday February 7 which confirms the preservation of this population, part of which was close to extinction 30 years ago.
This census "
gave an estimated result of 370 bears in the Cantabrian Mountains
", said in a press release the region of Castile and Leon, which carried out this study with the regions of Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia.
New census techniques
To carry out this census, the Spanish authorities used genomic techniques, i.e. by taking hair or bear feces to cross them in a DNA database and thus establish an estimate of their number. .
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In detail, the bear population has "
consolidated
" in the western part of the cordillera with "
250 individuals
".
And it increased in the eastern part with 120 individuals against "
previous estimates
" of around 50, which is "
a very satisfactory result because this subpopulation was close to extinction just 30 or 40 years ago.
“, underlined the region.
Gradual reconquest
The Cantabrian mountain range runs along the coasts of northern Spain for more than 400 kilometres, from the Basque Country in the east to Portugal in the west.
In the 1980s, it had become very rare to see the plantigrade there.
Its habitat was threatened by the construction of new roads and other human activities.
They continued to hunt him illegally and poison him like a vermin.
Since then, the species has gradually reconquered this territory without having to reintroduce it as was done in the Pyrenees, where the number of bears is estimated at around 70 individuals.
