News Archive - Page 15 of 144

For animals unjustly classified as ESOD, the decisive hour at the Council of State approaches!

For animals unjustly classified as ESOD, the decisive hour at the Council of State approaches!
27.03.2025
France
For animals unjustly classified as ESOD, the decisive hour at the Council of State approaches!
Wildlife

In 2023, the French Ministry of Ecological Transition published a decree designating one of the lists of “species likely to cause damage” (ESOD). Valid for three years, this text condemns to death millions of animals unjustly considered undesirable by the State. To ensure that the voices of these victims of constant harassment are heard, One Voice has called for the decree to be annulled. Hearing on March 31 at 2:00 pm at the Council of State.

“ESOD”: for the State, kill them at all costs

Foxes, martens, weasels, stone martens, carrion crows, rooks, common magpies, starlings and Eurasian jays… Considered group 2 “ESOD”, these animals are the victims of constant harassment. And this despite the fact that they are already the target of often illegal administrative drives and hunting, including underground hunting for foxes and their young.

By classifying these species for three years, the ministerial decree of August 4, 2023 organizes their massacre. Traps are in overdrive -killing and maiming even domestic animals– and bullets are raining down, even outside the hunting season. Rather than learning to live with these sensitive, intelligent creatures, the State is once again adopting the logic of the hunters by choosing violence.

Before the highest administrative court: obtain as many declassifications as possible

Because this arbitrary classification will lead to millions of deaths and is not based on any scientific logic, we took to court as soon as the decree was published, without obtaining its suspension. The judges considered that, these animals being classified as ESOD, an emergency intervention was not justified…

After months of proceedings and national mobilization, we will be present at the Council of State for the hearing on the merits on March 31 at 2:00 pm to defend these species, department by department. This is an essential step if we are to save lives and avoid their classification in the next triennial decree.

In the meantime, sign our petitions for the removal of foxes from the ESOD list and for a radical reform of hunting!

In less than two months, 428 projects validated: 1,659,056 animals condemned, thousands trepaned

In less than two months, 428 projects validated: 1,659,056 animals condemned, thousands trepaned
26.03.2025
France
In less than two months, 428 projects validated: 1,659,056 animals condemned, thousands trepaned
Animal testing

Since the beginning of the year, the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR) has not done things by halves. Between January 1 and February 21, 2025, no fewer than 428 projects were authorized and 1,659,056 animals condemned to undergo all sorts of painful experiments before losing their “usefulness” and being put to death.

Beyond the numbers lie the macabre fates of individuals…

Today, One Voice reveals in particular the fate reserved for primates in this series of protocols, and once again asks the authorities for the documents authorizing these tests.

Hundreds of open-brained monkeys

Whether studying Parkinson‘s disease or cerebrovascular accidents, the common thread is this: primates are mutilated, their skulls cut open to plug in invasive devices.

In the chilling technical terms of a project summary, the monkeys undergo trepanning and “implantation of a head-restraining device and recording chamber via titanium screws surgically implanted on the head”. In short: a drill bit is inserted into their head, to the brain. Then a metal tube is attached to it, with a window sealed by a cap before “use”. During testing, the cap is removed and electrodes are inserted directly into the heart of the organ.

Not to mention the pain, these experiments can cause infections (as we’ve seen at NeuroSpin), lead to fluid accumulation, damage the protective layer of the encephalon or, worst of all, deliberately cause irreparable damage!

For hours on end, according to a second protocol just as disconnected from the tortures endured, they are subjected to a series of interventions: “Animals that pass the training will then have a second cranial surgery under general anesthesia to implant the recording chambers or multielectrode arrays”. A grim reward indeed…

Of these 596 monkeys, 252 will be reused in other experiments or returned to breeding farms. As for those deemed too “damaged” by the procedures, they will simply be put to death. Their ordeal will end, once again, not out of compassion, but because they are no longer “usable”.

Hundreds of thousands of animals under the labs’ scalpel

Unfortunately, these 596 primates are only a tiny fraction of the victims… Alongside them, 1,624,660 domestic animals will also suffer the scalpel blows of their executioners:

Sheep will be induced to have heart attacks, while others will have new devices put in their bones;
Rabbits and rats are not exempt from brain implants either;
Mice, meanwhile, are being experimented on from every angle, from heart attacks triggering to depression induction, via intracerebral devices… Among all these projects, one plans to render 901,000 of them immunodeficient, causing them all kinds of diseases;
Scientists will create anal fistulas in pigs, which they will maintain for several weeks;
Hundreds of dogs will be forced to test new drug candidates for toxicity, risking their lives in the process;

We will continue to ask the Ministry for access to project application files in order to verify their conformity and the rigor of their evaluation. With the aim of increasing transparency, we will not stop denouncing these cruel tests and demanding a reduction in the number of animals used.

If, like three quarters of French people, you support the end of animal testing (One Voice/Ipsos April 2023), join us in calling for an end to these barbaric methods!

An end to the suffering of ducks in the Somme region: a man convicted of cruelty

An end to the suffering of ducks in the Somme region: a man convicted of cruelty
25.03.2025
Somme
An end to the suffering of ducks in the Somme region: a man convicted of cruelty
Wildlife

After torturing ducks and geese for more than ten years, the farmer from Ponthoile has been convicted by the Criminal Court in Amiens. Against all this horror, the fact that we brought a civil action has borne fruit. Today is a victory for the thousands of migratory birds crammed together and mutilated throughout their lives, before being sold on to satisfy hunters in their huts.

Nightmare on the farm: a trafficking ring dismantled

An OFB investigation revealed that the torturer had been subjecting the birds to numerous abuses… since 2011! Imprisoned for life, the animals were kept on top of each other and were very often mutilated at the phalanges of their wings. This caused extreme pain for the 3,000 birds destined to serve as live decoys to attract their fellow birds during the hunt.

The farmer was operating illegally, without keeping any records. Greedy for profit, he disposed of the birds by selling them to clandestine networks. These ducks, in his eyes reduced to mere objects or waste, never knew the peaceful life they were entitled to.

An executioner convicted of sordid detention

The individual was found guilty of illegal activities, unauthorised sales and mistreatment of ducks and geese… Unfortunately, the court disregarded the water pollution caused, and the fact that the aquatic animals that had died were thrown away without any qualms or remorse. A fine of €10,000 and a five-year ban on practising his profession were imposed. What could be more normal given the atrocity of such acts? A sanction to deter against abuse on these farms, whatever form it takes, and the illegal trade in birds.

To denounce illegal farms and put an end to those controlled by hunters, sign our petition for a radical reform of hunting!

Return of traditional hunting: new hearing against the State’s obstinacy

Return of traditional hunting: new hearing against the State’s obstinacy
24.03.2025
Return of traditional hunting: new hearing against the State’s obstinacy
Wildlife

Skylarks, golden plovers, lapwings… For years, they were subjected to the horror of traditional hunting. Thanks to our efforts, the courts have definitively buried these outdated practices. But for the past two years, the government has chosen to force them through by reauthorizing them via pseudo-“scientific experiments”. In 2023, we obtained an emergency suspension of captures in the Ardennes region. On March 26 at 10 a.m., the administrative court of Châlons-en-Champagne will examine our request against this decree.

Archaic, cruel, and illegal traditions

Coating a branch with glue and waiting for a thrush to stick to it and agonize for hours. Capturing a golden plover, a species classified as “near threatened” by the IUCN, making them cry out to attract other golden plovers and then pulling the nets shut violently on them. Collecting them and then killing them. This is the reality of the “traditional” practices that were authorized for decades in the name of a morbid pastime.

The battle was long, from the Council of State to the Court of Justice of the European Union, but after dozens of proceedings, conducted in parallel with the LPO, the courts ruled in our favor, canceling, since 2018, the ministerial decrees setting quotas for birds that could be killed, then definitively banning glue traps in 2021, “tendelles” (stone traps) in 2023, and cages and nets in 2024.

The State remains stubborn in its opposition to birds and justice

As we know, the authorities, from the President of the Republic to the prefects, are prepared to do anything to satisfy the demands of this all too powerful minority. In 2023, they launched “experiments” in five departments, entrusted to hunters—those great scientists—to circumvent the court decisions confirmed year after year and reauthorize these cruel practices. The aim of this maneuver was to challenge the decisions already handed down by the judges in court once again.

Two years ago, we obtained an emergency halt to these pseudo-studies in the Ardennes, Gironde, and Lot-et-Garonne regions. However, in the Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques regions, the judge did not agree with us, and these captures for the purpose of killing were also authorized the following year.

On March 26 at 10 a.m., the administrative court of Châlons-en-Champagne will hold its hearing on the 2023 decree issued by the prefect of the Ardennes. Because traditions can never justify animal suffering and contempt for justice, we will continue to fight against these archaic practices, which are condemned by 83% of French people. Together, let us continue to demand a radical reform of hunting!

Poll: 9 out of 10 French people in favour of bears

Poll: 9 out of 10 French people in favour of bears 20.03.2025
France
Poll: 9 out of 10 French people in favour of bears Wildlife

Bears are now hibernating peacefully after a turbulent summer marked by scare shots fired indiscriminately by the State. But this tranquillity is short-lived, as the threat of their downgrading looms ever larger, appealing to certain European politicians. Will these animals be the next victims of the lobbies? Nothing can satisfy the thirst for plundering nature and biodiversity of farmers and hunters who relentlessly harass wildlife. Some even cause the death of animals. Yet, like us, the majority of French people are in favour of their presence. This is shown by the Ipsos poll carried out for One Voice on French people’s opinions of brown bears.

Stories influence our perception of bears without always reflecting reality!

The French are fairly divided on the image that stories convey of brown bears. It is, however, considered more positive (39%) than negative (29%). Women have a less positive view of the image of bears as conveyed by stories (33% say it is generally positive) than men (44%).

If, for half of French people, these stories, tales and legends do not influence their perception of bears (51%), it is undoubtedly because they are aware that these fictional representations of bears do not correspond to reality (64%). However, the majority of people under 35 say that these works of fiction have had an impact on their view of bears (62%), and they are also much more likely to believe that these representations correspond to reality (47% vs. 29% of people aged 60 and over).

Low levels of concern among the population, who perceive brown bears as essential to biodiversity

A very small minority of respondents feel anxious about brown bears. Only 23% fear their presence, with just 6% saying they are very concerned.

It is therefore not surprising that the French respondents overwhelmingly agree that the presence of bears in France does not pose a danger to themselves and their families (86%), particularly those over 60 (92%), even though a quarter of those under 35 say the opposite. This can notably be explained by the fact that they are aware that brown bears tend to flee from humans (77%).

Brown bears are important animals in the eyes of nearly nine out of ten French people

The latter agree that they play a key role in ecosystems (83%), and that they have a rightful place in the French nature (87%).

Quite logically, 85% of French people also consider that the return of brown bears to France is a real benefit for biodiversity.

Better protection of livestock by farmers is expected to facilitate coexistence with brown bears!

The French thus seem to have a high regard for bears. In fact, the majority of them believe that bears are not aggressive animals (52%) and that if they attack livestock, it is because the livestock is not protected (56%).

Nearly nine out of ten respondents say that farmers should be required to put protective measures in place for their livestock (87%) to prevent attacks by brown bears. Furthermore, 85% believe that compensation for farmers from public funds should be conditional on them implementing protective measures (human presence, enclosures, dogs, etc.).

The French believe that the reintroduction of brown bears in the Pyrenees could disrupt ecosystems and want to spare them from certain hunting practices.

Regarding the relocation of brown bears from abroad to France in order to reintroduce the species to the Pyrenees, the majority of French people (63%) say that this practice can be risky and may disrupt the balance of ecosystems.

The vast majority of French people, who are committed to the preservation of brown bears, say they want to ban the lethal shooting of species with poor conservation status (83%), which includes brown bears. At the same time, the majority of them say they want to ban scare shots against bears (65%), a practice that frightens bears in their natural environment.

The survey was conducted by Ipsos between 30 October and 4 November 2024 among 1,000 people, who constituted a nationally representative sample of the French population aged 18 to 75. The sample was surveyed online via Ipsos’ Access Panel Online (quota method: gender, age, occupation of the respondent, type of urban area, region).

For peace for bears and to stop scare shots, sign our petition.

See the full survey See the full survey See the full survey See the full survey See the full survey See the full survey See the full survey See the full survey See the full survey See the full survey

On 26 March at 2 p.m., inauguration of a Chatipi to help stray cats in Saint-Geniès-de-Comolas

On 26 March at 2 p.m., inauguration of a Chatipi to help stray cats in Saint-Geniès-de-Comolas
17.03.2025
Gard
On 26 March at 2 p.m., inauguration of a Chatipi to help stray cats in Saint-Geniès-de-Comolas
Domestic animals

One Voice, who has been fighting against cat strayings for years, is setting up triangular partnerships with municipalities or local communities and associations in view of identifying, neutering and caring for homeless cats, and releasing them while providing them with wooden shelters where they can drink, eat and take refuge. The town hall of Saint-Geniès-de-Comolas, in the Gard region, and the Chats des Rues association have long been committed to this cause. To further their commitment, they contacted One Voice to provide a sustainable shelter for cats without families and to raise public awareness of their plight. The inauguration will take place at the Chatipi space on Wednesday 26 March at 2pm.

The inauguration will take place in front of the Chatipi space located on Chemin de Montfaucon in Saint-Geniès-de-Comolas, at plot B 282. Mayor Olivier Jouve and part of his municipal council will be present. Representing the Chats des Rues association, President Marie-Louise Humblot will be accompanied by most of the board and volunteers. Finally, Mathilde Perrot and Aurore Defix will represent One Voice. Mehdi Mekerle, director of the Saint-Geniès-de-Comolas Leisure Centre, has also been invited and will be accompanied by several children from the centre.

Educational workshops to raise children’s awareness of the plight of stray cats

Chatipi is an ethical initiative aimed at creating spaces for stray cats in view of rescuing them while raising public awareness of their distress and needs. Around sixty such spaces are currently being developed throughout France.

Around twenty children, aged 6 to 10, who are enrolled in the town’s Leisure Centre, will attend the inauguration. Through educational workshops organised by One Voice they will learn about the needs of stray cats and the challenges they face on the streets. The aim is to explain why cats become strays and to remind people that, contrary to popular belief, our feline companions struggle to survive on their own in the wild, where they face hunger, cold, disease and human cruelty, and that action must be taken to help them.

Division of tasks and responsibilities

One Voice, who invented the Chatipi concept, provides the chalet and the cat flaps, covers the cost of 30 kilos of dry food and veterinary expenses (sterilisation, identification, tests) for 15 cats at the start of the operation, as well as the educational board.

For its part, the local council has provided the land and covered the cost of laying the concrete slab, assembling the chalet and installing an adjoining wire enclosure.

The association Chats des Rues which is highly involved in helping cats, with more than 500 sterilizations carried out since 2012, will be responsible for the long-term running of the Chatipi: fitting out the chalet, caring for and feeding the residents, monitoring their health, etc. In total, around fifteen unadoptable cats are expected to benefit from the Chatipi in Saint-Geniès-de-Comolas.

The hidden side of scientific training: thousands of animals killed each year

The hidden side of scientific training: thousands of animals killed each year
14.03.2025
France
The hidden side of scientific training: thousands of animals killed each year
Animal testing

Since 2020, the use of animals of all species in training has been steadily increasing. Professionals and students take part in these learning sessions in order to acquire or improve existing skills.

These procedures, carried out on thousands of living, sentient beings, always result in the killing of almost all of them… This, once again, despite the existence of effective alternatives. One Voice is lifting the veil on these cruel practices and demanding an end to these obsolete methods!

From mice to pigs: no species is spared

In 2022, according to the latest figures published on this subject, more than 35,000 animals were killed as part of training programmes in French universities and laboratories. Although half of them are mice, all species are affected. Numerous rodents, as well as rabbits, pigs, sheep, horses and dogs are used for training purposes.

Ever-present suffering

All of these animals undergo invasive procedures, often for no other purpose than to learn technical skills: bone mutilation, corneal wounds, dental or heart surgery, etc. The pain is sometimes so intense that it leads to neurological and behavioural disorders, such as aggression or self-mutilation.

Whether they endure several days of suffering or are killed immediately, their fate is sealed as soon as they enter these laboratories.

Systematic killing and objectification

At the end of most training days, all the animals are killed. Without compassion from their torturers, even those in the control group, who are spared the tests, do not escape this fate.

In a project entitled “Training in preclinical imaging in mice: refinement and reduction”, dozens of them are given a contrast agent that remains in their organs. Rather than waiting for it to be eliminated naturally, they are killed. Profitability takes precedence over their welfare – if that term can still be used given what they endure – and their survival. Ironically, the project claims to take an ethical approach by advocating “refinement” and “reduction”.

Considered as simple waste, when not disposed of, they are “recycled”. A project published on 8 January illustrates this perfectly: “Females will be recycled animals from within our facility to the maximum extent possible”. Behind this practice lies a cynical accounting logic: to lower the numbers without reducing the suffering. It is a sleight of hand that allows the project to “whitewash” while perpetuating the same practices.

Some projects specify that “the animal may be placed under general anaesthesia for half a day or even a whole day” to allow technical skills to be acquired. These procedures, sometimes multiple and successive on the same animal, are planned without any regard for its ability to recover. Frequently, its condition after several interventions is deemed “incompatible with waking up“. Euthanasia, often described as “the most favourable outcome“, ends its usefulness, with little regard for the suffering inflicted upon it. In this logic, all these animals become mere tools, things to be recycled or disposed of once the learning objective has been achieved.

Alternatives exist, let’s support them!

Some universities already train their students using alternative methods to animal experimentation. They use videos, stuffed mouse models and artificial skin to prepare them for various technical procedures.

Some devices, such as PharSim, aim to replace laboratory animals used in higher education by offering an electronic simulation of biological preparations while preserving the educational aspect. They allow students to handle laboratory equipment while respecting the ethical and environmental principles that should always prevail.

The Gers prefecture is once again planning to kill and dissect 495 foxes

The Gers prefecture is once again planning to kill and dissect 495 foxes 13.03.2025
Gers
The Gers prefecture is once again planning to kill and dissect 495 foxes
Wildlife

With no one the wiser, the prefect of the Gers region has authorised a new round of fox killings for “experimental” purposes. As was the case last month, the aim is to document their diet… at the cost of nearly 500 lives. Following the suspension of four orders on 3 March, we will once again be present at the Administrative Court in Pau on 19 March at 9 a.m. to demand the urgent suspension of these new orders.

A first victory in court… and a prefecture that refuses to give up

A few weeks ago, also in the Gers region, the court ruled in our favour by urgently suspending decisions that were identical in every respect. As a result, 660 foxes have already been spared.

All in all, the prefecture wanted to have more than 1,000 individuals killed. All this to rummage through their stomachs in the name of some obscure “scientific experiment”. And this even though thousands of them are already killed every year through hunting and unearthing.

Slaughtering foxes to better protect them: when the state gets it all wrong

On the prefecture’s side, there is total confusion: after referring to the “clumsiness” of its orders, it backtracked by stating that their purpose was to prove that the species is not “ESOD 1”. This is completely nonsensical, given that in 2023, it itself asked the minister responsible for hunting to give it this classification in the department.

As always, rather than seeking non-lethal alternatives, the prefect is giving in to the lobbies that want to see these red-coated animals, which are harassed everywhere and at all times, killed. He must reverse his decision. We are urgently referring the matter to the Administrative Court in Pau to put an end to these operations: the hearing is on 19 March. In the meantime, sign our petition for a radical reform of hunting!

1 Species likely to cause damage.

Let’s save the pair of wolves on the Millevaches plateau!

Let’s save the pair of wolves on the Millevaches plateau!
12.03.2025
Corrèze
Let’s save the pair of wolves on the Millevaches plateau!
Wildlife

In a climate of misinformation and latent incompetence on the part of State services, the only two wolves on the Millevaches plateau are in danger of being killed. While they are ready to form a family from an exceptional genetic mix, the public authorities are only responding to the hatred of breeders by shooting at wolves. Let’s save these wolves from imminent death!

Two united wolves plagued by gunfire and government inaction

In early March and every night since, the wolf pair on the Millevaches plateau has been surrounded by gunfire. Yet no “damage” has been caused to the herds since November 2024…

This exceptional pair, which has been closely monitored by naturalists since last summer, brings together a male of German-Polish origin and a female who may be Italian-Alpine, or even the result of a mix between two lineages. Their union will give birth to a cub resulting from a genetic crossing between two different lines. This unprecedented reproduction in France could revive the lupine population in the long term. This is excellent news, at a time when permits to kill wolves are piling up and Europe has shamefully chosen to downgrade them.

As usual, the French government sides with the breeders, claiming that there is no pack on the plateau. Even though the photos show the two wolves together as a family. This over-the-top propaganda fuels the lies spread eagerly by the extremist unions. Their only wish is to have the canines killed. It was a close call for the male last summer: he was seriously wounded by a shot, preventing him from feeding for months. Furious at having missed their “target”, the lieutenants of louveterie and pests are waiting for just one thing: to annihilate him.

Will hatred and misinformation get the better of biodiversity?

Who remains deaf and blind in the face of nature’s feats and the intrinsic value of the beings that inhabit it? The Coordination rurale de Haute-Vienne… well, there they are again!

The union claims that the wolf, of German-Polish origin, was introduced by humans, and accuses the regional nature park and the French Biodiversity Agency. That’s nonsense! For the record, the animals of this lineage have been detected in several parts of France since 2017. It’s typical of these animals to spread throughout the country when they’re not prevented from doing so. Before casting aspersions, it might be a good idea to do some research, don’t you think?

Once again, breeders are crying scandal where there is none, preferring to reaffirm their devastating will against nature rather than take their responsibilities to truly act and protect their flocks. Because no, shooting wolves won’t necessarily reduce the risks. The only solution is to live together, as has long been scientifically proven.

Between the open incompetence of government departments and the calls to kill from their detractors, the wolves are facing imminent death.

We are contacting the prefect to bring him to account.

On Wednesday March 19 from 10am to 12pm, we’ll be in front of the Tulle prefecture to defend this couple. Join us!

If you can’t be there, you can sign the petition to demand peace for them.

Justice for Caramelles, the bear killed by a hunter!

Justice for Caramelles, the bear killed by a hunter!
12.03.2025
Ariège Justice for Caramelles, the bear killed by a hunter!
Wildlife

At the end of 2021, Caramelles was killed in the Ariège region during an illegal hunt in the heart of the Mont Valier hunting and wildlife reserve. She left behind two cubs, left to fend for themselves. Following our complaint, the investigation identified 16 poachers, all of whom bear responsibility for her death. They will be tried on 18 and 19 March from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the legal tribunal in Foix, where we are part of the court action.

The sound of bullets, the silence of the Ministry

20 November 2021. During a wild boar hunt, several hunters knowingly entered the Mont Valier reserve. The signage is clear; they cannot ignore the fact that this is a protected area.

Caramelles and her cubs, already paralysed with fear by the screams and projectiles whistling through the air, have the misfortune of crossing paths with one of the shooters. Seeking to protect her cubs, the bear wounds the man who responds by killing her. She thus suffered the same fate as her mother Mellba, who was also shot dead in the Haute-Garonne region in 1997. Following our complaint, sixteen people will have to answer for their actions in court. And what about the Ministry of Ecology in all this? At no point did it see fit to take legal action over this environmental scandal, leaving it, as always, to associations to defend non-humans and biodiversity in its place.

A mother shot dead, cubs left orphaned

We know their arguments in advance, as they do not hesitate to turn against their own people who have been caught red-handed and flouting basic safety rules. They will accuse them of being “bad hunters”. As for the individual who killed the bear, they will invoke self-defence. This does not change the fact that these men should not have entered Caramelles’ territory. Ready to answer back, these poachers have been working together for months in order to hide their crimes. We are calling for their licences to be revoked and their weapons confiscated.

There remains the question of Caramelles’ two ten-month-old cubs. They were probably still learning from their mother and had not yet been taught how to hibernate. This is at a time when the situation is critical for this species of which only 83 remain in the Pyrenees today. Every summer they are harassed by scare shots, which we are challenging in court, as it is also pointless to count on the prefectures to protect the bears. This summer harassment puts a target on the bears, opening the door to abuse by hunters.

In order to obtain justice for Caramelles, we will be present at the court in Foix on 18 and 19 March. It is out of the question to ask for her to be “replaced” at the taxpayer’s expense by one of her fellow bears captured in Slovenia or elsewhere. Animals are not interchangeable pieces of furniture. Rather than uprooting bears, the ministry would do better to take action to protect those already in our mountains.

If, like 87% of French people surveyed by Ipsos for One Voice, you believe that these animals have their place in nature, sign our petition to stop scare shots and give them a real protection.

And for all bears, we will be participating in the World Day organised by our partner AVES France in Strasbourg on 21 and 22 March.

Photo: The bear Caramelles with Boet or Esmolet in 2014, image taken by one of the camera traps located in the Alt Pirineu Natural Park (Catalonia) – Generalitat de Catalunya CC BY-SA 4.0