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Wolves in 18th century Spain
10/10/2006 I came across these accounts of dogs and wolves in A Journey Through Spain in the Years 1786 and 1787 by Joseph Townsend. I assume the tiger is a lynx. Piedrafita [in Jaca], a little...
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Diary of a bear tracker
12/11/2006. Diary of a bear tracker Brief desciption of tracking bears in Proeza, Asturias by Fapas. The area is the only possibility of linking the two bear populations in the Cordillera Cantabrica,...
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Bear population in the Cordillera Cantábrica.
26/11/2006 More bears in the Cordillera Cantábrica. This year’s bear cub census by the Fundación Oso Pardo “seems to indicate that the bear is moving back towards viability in the Cordillera...
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Is this a wolf?
I recently received this mail which provoked the following debate on the forum here. I was interested to read your article on http://www.iberianature.com/material/wolf.html. “On the 4th of July at...
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Mammals of the Picos de Europa
Lisa of the iberianature forum has put together this great page on Picos de Europa mammals with some fantastic photos by Carlos Sanz. There are also sections on birds, flora and butterflies. Photo of...
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Bears and wolves threatened by EU carrion ban
As previously reported on Iberianature, bears, wolves and other wildlife in Spain are seriously threatened by the EU dead livestock ban arising from the BSE outbreak. 8-10 bear cubs are estimated to...
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The Cantabrian brown bear
Lisa of the iberianature forum has written this excellent piece on the Cantabrian brown bear for the Olive Press with which she begins: “CANTABRIAN brown bears have developed a slightly different...
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Paca and Tola
Paca and Tola are two female bears which were orphaned 1989, at the age of four months when a hunter killed their mother and took the two cubs. The cubs were rescued by Fapas and Seprona after a...
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San Glorio ski resort project rejected by law courts
But great news for the Cantabrian mountains and their wildlife; The Castilla and León law courts have vetoed the project put forward by Tres Provincias S.A. for a ski resort in the San Glorio region...
View ArticleEco-tourism and bears in Somiedo
Following a rather sensational article in El Pais, an interesting polemical discussion is currently going on in the Spanish press. The original article centres on the dangers of bears becoming...
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Conservation work camp in the Picos de Europa
The Fundación para la Conservación del Quebrantahuesos is organising a work camp in July with volunteers in the village of Bejes, Cantabria. The camp is centred on helping the maintenance of...
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The lost Capercaillie
A male Capercaillie (in Spanish, urogallo), named Manso by villagers in Asturias, has returned to the area where last year he was desparately looking for females of his own species. Having travelled...
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New conservation management project for Cantabrian brown bear
Following the news of the creation of a third patrol for the Fundación Oso Pardo which will be financed by the Obra Social Caja Madrid to further and coordinate the work of the existing two, today...
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Valley of the Bears
According to Fapas, the Trubia valley in Asturias is seeing a slow but sure increase of reproductive female Cantabrian brown bears, the species having almost disappeared completely from this area. In...
View ArticleWind farm construction in Capercaillie habitat paralysed by judge
Judge halts windpark in capercaillie territory The Regional Government of Castilla y León ordered to explain why they authorised the works The San Feliz windpark will have to wait. The heavy machinery...
View ArticleBear cub corpse found in Palencia
A bear cub was found dead on Sunday (8th of June) in the area of La Pernía, Palencia making it the first case of infanticide by a male Cantabrian brown bear to be registered in the eastern population...
View ArticleNew, Stricter Protection Laws for the Cantabrian brown bears
A new draft of the Plan for the Recuperation of the Cantabrian brown bear (Plan para la Recuperación del Oso pardo Cantabrico) has been sent by the Castilla y León Environment Ministry to all the...
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Cantabrian brown bears and carrion
The new digital camaras that Fapas have installed are paying their way. They’ve made a very informative PowerPoint slideshow of a young bear encountering a corpse of a cow (I think). On the first few...
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Saving the Cantabrian Capercaillie from extinction
As part of the Spanish ornithological society SEO/Birdlife’s campaign, El Sonido del Bosque (Sounds of the Forests), work-camps will begin this August to improve the habitat of the Cantabrian...
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Connecting Cantabrian brown bears
The Fundación Oso Pardo has nearly finished a study to find a communication corridor for the two, at present, separated bear populations. The study has identified problem areas and will propose at...
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Plan to cull 100 wolves in Castilla y León
A plan to hunt and shoot up to 100 wolves in Castilla y León has angered environmentalists who say the culling is an unnecessary sop to farmers who claim livestock are under attack. The Guardian See...
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New book on Spain’s bears
While we cross our fingers and hope that Hvala settles into hibernation mode before the Aranese authorities can get their hands on her, a new book has been officially launched. Titled “Osas. El...
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Bear cub returned to wild
The bear cub found injured in June was released back into the wild on Tuesday in Somiedo. Lisa notes: “The movements of her family (mother and two sisters) have been monitored closely and the release...
View ArticleIllegal hunting ring broken
An important illegal hunting ring has been broken in the Cantabrian mountains of Asturias and León where two and six men respectively have been arrested. Various arms were found in their houses along...
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Cantabrian nature blog
One of my favourite Spanish nature blogs is Zona Osera (Bear Zone) written by Hector Ruiz from the Valle de Laciana, León. Superb photography and great natural history writing.
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Increase in brown bear population
Good news – in part. The population of brown bears in the Cantabrian Mountains continues to grow. According to the latest bear census, a total of 19 female bears raised 37 cubs last year. The census...
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Cantabrian bear groups rejoined
Great news from biologists at Oviedo University; they now have positive DNA tested proof that two young bears are the progeny of a female bear from the east and a male from the west. Two hair/faeces...
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The Great Mountain Corridor
The Great Mountain Corridor is an idea to create a vast ecological corridor connecting the Cantabrian Mountains, the Pyrenees and the Alps, and possibly eventually, the Balkans, along which wolves,...
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Picos de Europa online
My friend Lisa who used to write the bear news on iberianature has finally brought on line her long-awaited Picos de Europa guide. This looks likely to become the English-language guide to those...
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Good news from Palencia
A “new” reproductive female bear with two cubs has been found in Palencia, part of the beleaguered Eastern Cantabrian bear population. With only 30 odd individuals, this population is in a critical...
View ArticleInterview with Roberto Hartasánchez
Interview with Roberto Hartasánchez, the president of FAPAS on Spanish National radio. An interesting ten minute overview of bears, the serious impact of the disappearance of bees, and the state of...
View ArticleSummer love
Lisa over at picosdeeuropa.com has an interesting account of how at least one pair of Cantabrian bears has bred later in the year, in late August, instead of May-June, presumably because of climate...
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Bear in camera trap
Fantastic photo taken by a camera trap somewhere in Asturias by the wildlife group FAPAS. There are now some 180 brown bears in the Cantabrian mountains (Cantabria, Castilla y León and above all...
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Brown bear population in Spain 2013
The population of brown bears in the Cantabrian mountains 2013 has reached more than 200, with 34 cubs raised in 2010. More here
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