France Suspends Hunting to Save Orphaned Bear Cub

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=753&e=1&u=/nm/20041103/sc_nm/france_bear_dc

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BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) - France suspended hunting in the western Pyrenees on Wednesday to save a bear cub orphaned when his mother, the last female bear native to the region, was killed by hunters earlier this week.
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President Jacques Chirac told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that "the loss of a species is always a serious loss for biodiversity" in France and in Europe, government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said.

Lepeltier called the incident "an ecological catastrophe."

Animal rights activists said hunters were warned in advance the female bear was nearby.

A group of six who were hunting wild boar said the bear attacked their dogs. One of the hunters, fearing that he was in danger, shot her and the badly injured bear fell into a ravine.
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No comment, just sadness.

Jay

How did they let things get so out of balance? Why wasn't it illegal to hunt bears there before the population was decimated?

and the momma bear apparently got pissed off by the dogs and charged.