An operation led by the Ministry of the Environment, Housing and Territorial Planning -made up of technical personnel, veterinarians, environmental agents, environmental guards and Bear Patrols of the Natural Heritage Foundation of the Board-, with the collaboration of the Civil Guard and field personnel from the Fundación Oso Pardo, have been searching the area around the Peña de Santa Lucía since this morning to locate two adult brown bears and a bear cub who fell from a cliff due to a confrontation during the mating season between a male and a female with calf, after locating the dead adult male.

Following the notice of several individuals who are fans of wildlife observation, during the last hours of yesterday afternoon the Board was informed of an episode in which an adult male brown bear, in the heat of mating season, confronted a female accompanied by a calf, the two adults finishing off a cliff by a large cut of several tens of meters, reports the Board through a statement.

The operation deployed from early in the morning of this Monday, June 6, has been able to confirm the death of the male, weighing 217 kilograms, while the search for the bear and the bear cub continues. In relation to the bear, whose death has not been confirmed, but the extreme severity of the injuries in light of the images and traces of blood observed, it has been possible to locate the cavity where it has taken refuge, and during In the afternoon, the interior of the cave was monitored with a remote team, prioritizing the safety of the entire operation.

Regarding the bear cub, although it has been observed, in the last few hours visual contact has been lost as it has entered one of the many cavities in the area, which are very difficult to access.

Right now the priority of the operation is, in addition to confirming the extent of the injuries to the female, the location and capture of the bear cub, to ensure its survival in specialized facilities of the Board until it reaches the necessary weight to fend for itself autonomously.

After lifting the body of the brown bear by environmental agents, environmental guards and the Civil Guard, the body of this adult male is being transferred to the Burgos Wild Animal Recovery Center to carry out the corresponding necropsy.