Louis Bégouën Association
for the Protection, Preservation and Study of the

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    Their discoverers adopted an attitude of considerable caution towards the clay bison that the Magdalenians hid from man in the depths of the cave. The fact of the extreme fragility of the cave and its contents imposed itself on them. Total respect for the prehistoric remains was their primary rule, so as to transmit them intact to future generations.

    The most important decisions were to have only one access route, to close the caves and to restrict the rare visits to researchers accompanied by the responsible member of the family (today Robert or Eric Bégouën). Effective preservation demands this strict discipline. This is now the case for all newly-discovered public or private decorated caves; numerous studies have shown that the underground environment is very complex and the slightest change can have unforeseen consequences.

     

    The discoverers

    One hundred years after their first exploration, Tuc d'Audoubert and Les Trois-Frères are still intact. We hope the miracle will always continue.