More than 200 sheep were found dead at the bottom of a cliff in the Pyrenees mountains after being chased by a bear.

Their deaths have reignited a bitter debate about the presence of bears in the mountain range that straddles the French-Spanish border, where they were reintroduced 20 years ago after disappearing in the early 1990s.

209 sheep were found dead at the bottom of a cliff in the Pyrenees mountains after being chased by a bear (file photo)

The 209 sheep belonged to a farmer in the Couflens area on the French side of the border.

However, their bodies were found last Sunday at the foot of a cliff just over the border in Spain.

Investigations by local authorities concluded they were fleeing from a bear.