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Pyrenean mythology attributes the origin of the bone to a spell. According to ancient folk belief, the first bone was actually a man who was cursed to wander the world and turned into a hairy beast. The fact that it could even walk upright on its two hind legs was reminiscent of its human ancestors. Nevertheless, in an era without written history, the bone was still an animal that was respected and worshiped.
However, by the 21st century, the bone has become a cause of suspicion and rejection for Pyrenean herders. A demonstration held a few days ago in front of the headquarters of the Natural Park of the Old Pyrenees in Lavorcy made it possible to imagine a strong opposition to the way in which the public authorities manage the coexistence of bones, cattle and people in the same natural space. In their statement of reasons, the farmers pointed out the contradiction between the promotion of extensive animal husbandry and the presence of predators near cattle grazing on mountain pastures. The balance of interests between the government, environmental organizations and livestock farmers is extremely fragile and could be upset at any time, with unforeseeable consequences.
It is known that the 60 specimens of the long brown bones in the central Pyrenees are the result of a reintroduction campaign carried out nearly thirty years ago after the extinction of the species in the mountains. Since then, these bears have been multiplying while expanding their habitat to the Aran region and the counties of Alta Ribagorza and Pallas. Some individuals have even been found in Alte Urguel and Andorra. Several attacks on the herds have occurred over the years, as well as deaths due to bone poisoning.
Agriculture has a difficult relationship with wildlife. Not just because of bones, but also wild boars, deer, rabbits and other species that destroy crops. The government makes amends with compensation, but rural people look beyond the money and speak out about how abandoned they feel. The damage caused by wildlife adds to many other problems that the primary industry has faced for decades and made it hit the roads in February and March this year.
The public administration, as well as our society, has a responsibility towards farmers. In this debt, the bone part must be counted. In the Hautes-Pyrenees, farmers who are trying to maintain their trade amid rising production costs, frozen sales prices and excessive bureaucracy should not have the additional headache of worrying about the safety of their cattle in the mountains.
We can ask ourselves whether it was a good idea to reintroduce bones into the Pyrenees. In any case, there is no going back: what has been done is done. What seems clear is that this did not take into account the opinions of the permanent inhabitants of the mountains, consensus was abandoned and the choice was made to apply a protectionist policy in which the affected villages and professionals were expelled. This is a fairly common way of doing things in government, which, however, in recent years, by choice or by force, has begun to correct itself. Any public initiative thought out and executed with popular support is doomed to fail.
The problem of bones in the Pyrenees also highlights the great distance between the rural world and the urban environment, and the very different ways in which both sides understand nature. It is an idealistic vision compared to the reality perceived by those who tread the ground every day… while hoping not to bump into bones. As Pallars says, it is better not to speculate.
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