Farmers in the French Pyrenees are rejoicing after winning an assurance from President Emmanuel Macron that he will not authorise the release of any more bears into the wild.
The animals have been blamed for a surge in deadly attacks on sheep in the region.
Jean-Pierre Pommies, who raises sheep and cows met with Macron on Tuesday in the Pyrenean town of Pau.
"He was able to understand that it's a big problem for us," Pommies added. "We have reached the bottom, and the situation was ridiculous for Pyrenean herders."
When France's last pocket of brown bears appeared to be heading for extinction in the Pyrenees in the 1990s, the country began importing animals from Slovenia, where the population is booming.
The population is now estimated at around 40, roaming over a long and expanding swathe of the mountains that form the border between France and Spain.
Bear attacks on livestock have grown too, surging close to 400 in 2018, according to the most recent official annual report.
Herders including Pommies pounced on Macron to talk about the Pyrenees' bears when the French leader turned up at the Tour de France last year on a day when the bicycle race swung through the peaks.
Pommies said he threatened to release his animals into the riders' path unless Mr Macron agreed to a meeting.
Australian Associated Press
