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Title: Bear Mountain

Author: Mick Webb

Narrator: James Lurie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-26-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Science & Technology, Environment

Publisher's Summary:

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 todays annual festivals. Bear Mountain is a journey into mans 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 authors 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.

Members Reviews:

Enjoyable Read

A good summary of the conflict over the brown bear in the Pyrenees.

Well written and easy to digest.

Hopefully the reintroduction of the bear continues.

Excellent analysis of Pyrenean rewilding

I bought this book and read it the same day. It is an excellent account of the most significant Pyrenean conflict since the 19th century: the reintroduction of brown bears as part of a tri-national rewilding programme. Although I have been studying the subject for some 20 years it gave me new insights, crystallising ideas I had in the back of my mind - such as the arrival of the bears evoking a return to traditional farming practices. Traditional scenario = traditional response.

Written in a lively style, the story follows Mick Webb's researches in the French Pyrenees, making this complex subject accessible to a new audience.

Thoughtful and thought-provoking

This was a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at the dispute about the reintroduction of the bear to the Pyrenees. I live in the US, far from the location of this story, but found the book to be engrossing and even-handed. It asks questions that resonate in other situations- certainly in discussions about the wolf reintroduction in the western US, but also in other, less obviously related contexts. It is well worth the time for anyone interested in how we impact our world and the other creatures in it.