An 81-year-old French hunter, Andre Rives, is on trial for killing a protected brown bear, Caramelles, during a hunting incident. Rives was attacked by the bear when her cubs approached him. Despite sustaining injuries, he shot the bear, leading to controversy about hunting regulations in the region. Rives and several other hunters face various charges related to this incident, amplifying debates about wildlife protection and hunting practices in the Pyrenees. Local hunters have shown support for Rives, citing the dangers of the encounter and the unclear boundaries of restricted hunting areas.
Rives recalled the moment when the mother bear charged at him, stating, 'I looked at them with admiration. Then the mother saw me. Our eyes met, she charged.'
Judge Sun Yung Lazare commented on the trial's nature, making it clear that 'this is not an anti-bear or pro-bear trial. Rives is on trial for destroying a protected species.'
Jean-Luc Fernandez, president of a local hunting federation, defended Rives, saying, 'He fired, he should have let her do it? No, he saved his own skin.'
Rives described the bear attack vividly, detailing, 'She grabbed my left thigh, I panicked and fired a shot. Then she bit my right calf.'
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