First bear spotted in Spanish National Park after 150 years

A camera crew shot footage of a young brown bear in the northern region of Spain. It is the first time since 150 years that people have spotted a brown bear in this specific region of Galicia, reports The Guardian. The male bear, approximately between three and five years old, wandered past camera traps in O Invernadeiro National Park.

Finding new territories

Although it is possible that other bears have wandered through the region before, this is the first bear that has been reported to pass through the area in 150 years. It is very likely that the bear arrived before winter already, potentially from a mountain range directly north of the park. The camera trap footage shows how the young bear is searching for food, now that spring returns. The footage is a nice surprise to the filmmakers, who are documenting the wild nature over the course of two years.

Conservationists have worked years to establish and protect suitable habitats for a bear population to settle. If this bear would encounter a female individual nearly, it could well be that the bears would settle in the national park in the future.

Bears of the Iberian peninsula

The brown bear remains an endangered species in Spain. Fortunately, the population seems to grow steadily. Back in the 1980’s there were only several dozens of bears left in the region. Right now, we find two smaller populations in the Pyrenean mountains bordering France and Cantabrian mountains of northern Spain. Therefore, the total number of bears is around 300-350 individuals, experts state. Last year, people spotted the first bear cross the border in Portugal. Very likely this individual came from the northern Spanish population in the Cantabrian mountains.