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.