Andorra la VellaBanders’ body has confirmed via social networks the presence of a bone in the parish of Ordino, after the videos that are circulating from other users. They confirm that there is no recorded incident and that the plantigrade is being monitored to collect samples and identify it. The Association of Farmers and Ranchers of Andorra has sent a statement through which they have expressed their position on this issue.
Announcement:
“The images recorded about the presence of the bear in Andorra and, specifically, in the parish of Ordino, leave no doubt that it is making increasingly frequent visits to our territory. The fact that, in addition, they have been captured in a plot adjacent to the main road and in an area very close to homes makes us aware of the fact that it does not avoid inhabited areas and that it will not move solely through the remote areas of high mountains that everyone expected. The risk of their possible interaction expands, therefore, beyond the group of livestock farmers – which undoubtedly also includes beekeepers -, extending to the population in general.
The Banders Corps has informed the sector in a timely manner, following the protocol established and agreed upon with the Association of Farmers and Ranchers of Andorra, and the regulation relating to the possible damages that can be caused by the species of fauna protected with a degree equal to or higher than “in danger of extinction” in agriculture and livestock, which include, among others, the bear and the wolf. To see the bear, however, wandering through the lowlands, where the cattle are currently located and which, until now, were considered safe areas, just before starting their journey towards the high mountains, does not cease to constitute a reason for concern for the livestock sector.
The forecast is that these images will become more and more frequent, ratifying the regular presence of the bear in the territory, which entails learning to live with it. What is now clear, seeing him strolling next to our houses, is that this is not a challenge solely for cattle farmers, but a new scenario for the entire Andorran population“.
