Carla Bruni steps into ‘bear wars’ drama

Carla Bruni, France’s First Lady, is in trouble with the country’s Pyrenean farmers. They are furious about her support for local brown bears – the subject of a heated dispute between naturalists and sheep breeders that goes back three years to when her husband’s predecessor, Jacques Chirac, tried to save them from extinction by introducing more into the area.

Bruni, who agreed in 2006 to be "godmother" to Hvala, one of five bears brought in from Slovenia to replenish the Pyrenean population, believes that man and animal can live in harmony together. "There should be no question, in our country, of choosing between bear and man," she said. "We must find a balanced means of coexistence."

But the anti-bear brigade are unimpressed, saying that Bruni is a typical example of an animal-loving city dweller who has no idea of the damage the bears cause. "It’s annoying to see celebrities sponsoring the bears without understanding the consequences," Louis Dollo, a former farmer and anti-bear activist, said. "We do not give a hoot about the views of Parisians, civil servants or the wife of the President."

The anti-bear camp are certainly vociferous in their opposition. Banners in hostile villages proclaim: "Go home to Slovenia". The opponents cheer the bears' misfortunes, such as the accidents that killed two of the imported animals last year. And police and wildlife experts are still trying to find a bear that was hit by a minibus on a Pyrenean motorway last Saturday. The animal limped into the forest, leaving blood and fur on the wing of the vehicle.

However, bear watchers report that Bruni’s bear is doing well, having recently been seen in the company of a breeding male. An official from the main bear protection agency said: "That bodes well for more cubs from her in the winter."