Bear Mountain

By: Mick Webb

Narrated by: James Lurie

In the Pyrenees, contact between man and bear is rare. There are just over 20 brown bears roaming the vast mountain range. But for centuries, bears have loomed large in folklore and tradition, represented in cave paintings and both revered and feared in today’s annual festivals. Bear Mountain is a journey into man’s relationship with bears and the undeniable hold these animals have on our imaginations. However, bears are not viewed with universal affection. Efforts to replenish the brown bear population have been met with violent protests. Pyrenean farmers, fighting to sustain a traditional way of life long-since rendered uneconomical, view the bears as scapegoats for their troubles. Caught in the midst of angry battles as change and modernity sweep through local communities, the bears are decried, victimised, and hunted. Set amidst the Pyrenean peaks, Bear Mountain is a beautifully written documentary account of the author’s search for an elusive brown bear named Balou. From tracking bears with the Bear Team, witnessing the madcap fetes in the bears’ honour and exploring the history of man and bear, Bear Mountain scours the emotional response that bears inspire and takes us close to the heart of our connection to the natural world.

©2014 Mick Webb (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Dated and disappointing

It was written almost 10 years ago Little information about bears Not much style and general boring

Reintroduction of Bears into the Pyrenees

This short audio is a well balanced and very informative listen about the reintroduction of bears into the Pyrenees Mountains of France. Included is also the history of the bears, both in captivity and in the wild, which is very interesting. Once the bears were common in the mountains, but over the years they dwindled for many reasons: hunting, capture, and the encroachment of civilization, until the last of the great creatures was believed to have been killed in 1991. In 1996, in an effort to reintroduce the bears, the French government brought three bears from Slovenia and released them. Since that time it has been a constant battle between the sheep farmers and the conservationists. I still cannot say where I fall in that battle, but I will say that I am greatly saddened that it has become so political. I applaud the author, Mick Webb for his reporting on the subject. We humans seem to mess up so much in this beautiful world that the Lord has given us. I do believe that we will have to give an account for our actions, for what we have done to His creatures, to His creation, and for our selfishness.