Monday, February 12, 2024

Spain sets up ranger patrol to protect villages from massive bears that were once nearly extinct

My question: How massive are they?

Spain’s Iberian brown bear population, which was once almost extinct, has made such a strong recovery that a ranger patrol was set up to deter them from roaming into small villages in the country’s north.

The regional government of Castile and Leon arranged for the patrol, which consists of nine rangers, to guard residents and their crops in the mining town of Villablino and the surrounding area, in the province of Palencia, according to a report.

Their mission is to keep the endangered ursines secure and healthy, while enabling human residents to coexist with them.

If locals spot a bear, which can weigh from 330 to 550 pounds and stand over 6.5 feet tall, they are asked to keep calm and call the rangers’ 24-hour phone line for assistance.

Ok then, large, but not "massive."  They'd make a great rug.

8 comments:

  1. So, about the size of a large American black bear, but much smaller than a grizzly or brown bear.

    Much of the Spanish, Italian, East German, et al. countryside is more or less abandoned due to population collapse, and the local wildlife has increased greatly. There are empty villages in East Germany that are occupied by wolves and feral cats.

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  2. -----them bears is still bigger'n me------

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  3. Maybe massive for them.

    This is another prime example of "the law of unintended consequences by the do-gooder's", who now get to pay for more state services to mitigate the very problem they caused.

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  4. So the Spanish people are defenseless against the bears….you need a license and mandatory training for even a bow and arrow much less firearms …

    “ “Spain has amongst the most restrictive gun ownership laws in the world. The answer is you cannot own or use firearms for self defence, further more the only firearms available to the public are hunting guns such as shotguns. The only people who can be licensed for hand guns are government agencies and security employees.”

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    1. And my set of Star BM9s (1911 clone in Commander size, 9MM) are superbly made and excellent weapons.
      When did they go off the deep end?

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    2. I wouldn't want to live in a country where only the government is allowed to have guns. Over a hundred million people were killed by their own govt in the 20th century.

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  5. Same size and species as North American, Interior Grizzly.

    A full-grown, male Interior-Grizzly will run about 400 pounds but in the run-up to hibernation can put on up to 300 pounds of fat. Females are about 2/3 that size.

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  6. North American Griz in the lower 48 can weigh up to 900 lbs. In Alaska they get even bigger, with the world record at over 1600 lbs.
    Our record in Wyoming is well over 700 lbs.

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