French authorities have taken legal action against anti-bear activists who planted honey laced with glass shards in the Pyrenees mountains, the environment ministry said Thursday.
Twelve pots, marked "Caution: anti-bear poison", were found in the southwestern region, where a group of Slovenian brown bears are being released to boost the species' population in the face of fierce local protests.
A hiker discovered the first glass-laced pot near the town of Bagneres-de-Bigorre on April 30, the ministry said, and a police search of the area quickly uncovered the rest.
Ecology Minister Nelly Olin said she was "outraged" by the discovery while the governor of the Hautes-Pyrenees department has filed for legal action against the unidentified activists.
Two bears — named Franska and Palouma — were released in the Pyrenees late last month, with three more due to be introduced by the summer.
Opponents have mounted a sometimes violent campaign against their release, claiming the bears, which will join 18 already roving the region, will pose a serious threat to hikers, shepherds and livestock.
Supporters of the bears say they will attract tourists and cause only mininal damage to livestock.
Further releases have been suspended pending a court ruling on an attempt by regional farmers' unions to block the campaign.
The only indigenous Pyreneean bears left are all males, after a hunter shot the last remaining female, prompting a government pledge to double the local bear population over the next three years.
Slovenia signed an agreement with France last September to send five bears — three females and two males — to the Pyrenees between April and August.
Source: Agence France-Presse
