Andean bear
Tremarctos ornatus
IUCN Red List StatusVulnerable
Tremarctos ornatus
These bears are named after the Andes Mountains where wild bears live.
Andean bears are sometimes referred to as spectacled bears because of the white rings they sometimes have around their eyes, making them look like they’re wearing a pair of specs! Their short muzzle with wide flat teeth helps them chew through vegetation and tree bark, and their thick shaggy fur keeps them warm at high altitudes.
They are perfectly adapted for climbing trees, which they do to reach the fruit, berries and honey they eat. They have non-retractable claws for gripping trees, sometimes climbing as high as 13,000 feet to reach food!
With a lifespan of about 20 years, these bears live a solitary lifestyle, coming together only to mate. It takes two to three months for the mother to give birth to one or two cubs who remain in the safety of their den for the first three months of their lives.
The dry forests of the Andes are being cut down to make way for agricultural land (livestock), oil extraction and the building of new roads. This development is pushing the species closer to extinction.
Habitat fragmentation continues to bring bears and humans into closer proximity, leading to increased human-bear conflict.
Though the hunting of Andean bears is illegal, the species is still poached for its meat, skin, bones, fat and claws, which are all in demand locally.
We support a community-based project in Bolivia that aims to protect these animals by working alongside local people to establish a 100,000 hectare Productive Protected Landscape, which will include areas dedicated to nature-positive crop production, areas where dry forest habitat is left intact, and areas for reforestation and ecosystem recovery activities.
