81-Year-Old French Hunter Gets Four Months Suspended Prison for Killing Protected Pyrenees Bear Caramelles in Illegal Battue

A French hunter aged 81 has been sentenced to four months of suspended prison for killing Caramelles, a protected female brown bear in the Pyrenees. The incident occurred during an illegal hunting battue in Ariège in 2021, involving 16 hunters. The bear, estimated to be around 20 years old, was part of a protected species. In addition to the suspended sentence for the main shooter, the other hunters involved are required to pay a collective indemnity of 60,000 euros. The hunter who killed Caramelles has appealed the verdict, claiming self-defense, stating, "It was him or the bear." The case has drawn reactions from wildlife protection groups, with some expressing satisfaction that all involved were found guilty, while defense lawyers criticized the judgment as partial.