Bear News
Recent news updates about
the
bear project:
Another Bear Cub Rescued In
late December, the Ministry of the Environment in Loja rescued a male
Andean bear cub aged around 3 months, who was being kept as a pet after
his mother was killed for meat. Officials from the Ministry
brought the cub to us in January. He is named Mazharito,
meaning "good little friend" in the Shuar language. He is
very tame and is currently in temporary accommodation being well cared
for. We hope to move Mazharito to the new sanctuary as soon
as it is ready.
Construction Starts on Iznachi
Bear Sanctuary Construction
has now started on the Iznachi Bear Sanctuary. Heavy rains
are
making the slope slippery and the work slow, but we are pushing ahead
as fast as possible because we want to move Suyana, our rescued bear
cub, to the sanctuary as soon as we can. Many thanks to all
who
have donated to get us this far!
Bear Cub Rescued In
November we rescued a female Andean bear cub in the north of Ecuador.
She, her mother and a sibling were attacked by feral dogs,
and the cub
was seperated from her mother in the panic. Villagers saved
her from
the dogs and put her in a guineapig hutch for safety. Since
it was not
possible to reunite her with her mother, the Andean Bear Foundation
took her to a safe location where she could be cared for properly.
Our
online supporters voted to call the cub Suyana, which means hope.
Christmas Cards and 2012 Calendar
Now on Sale The 2011 Andean Bear Foundation Christmas card
is now on sale, along with an alternatively-worded version, the 2011 Andean Bear Foundation Happy Holidays
card. Also available is the Andean Bears 2012 calendar,
the result of our very successful calendar photo competition.
Many thanks to all the photographers, and to Rebecca Hamilton
for
design.
Satellite Collars Ready Two
new satellite collars are now ready and we hope to soon fit them on
Andean bears in the north of Ecuador. The
collars and the data they provide will help to understand more about
cattle depredation by Andean bears.
Bubu Bear Liberated - Briefly Bubu
bear was liberated again in September 2011 but returned again a few
weeks later. He is back in his cage and we are trying to
arrange
a helicopter to take him somewhere more remote for the next (and
hopefully final) attempt.
New Board Members The
Andean Bear Foundation is delighted to welcome Rebecca Hamilton and
Tracey Barnes to the Board of Directors. Tracey is the
Foundation’s new Registered Agent and Secretary while Rebecca
becomes Treasurer. Tracey is an Andean bear keeper at the Smithsonian
National Zoo in Washington, DC and the Andean bears there have bred
successfully under her care. Rebecca is a former President of
a
wildlife rehabilitation organization and also brings her design skills
- some of you may know her as the “Zazzlemeister”
of our Andean Bear Zazzle store.
We welcome Rebecca and Tracey to the team and look forward to
working with them both.
Andean Bear Calendar Photo
Contest Winners The
judges had a hard task deciding between so many beautiful Andean bear
images, but the winners of the Andean Bear Calendar Photo Contest are:
Grand Prize: Susie Hewitt for her photo of Spook at Belfast Zoo.
Spook will be the cover bear on the new calendar.
Second
Prize: Patricio Meza Saltos for his photo of Colleen and her
cub,
wild bears in Ecuador - Colleen was liberated by us in 2005, having
been rescued as a cub, and is now, as Patricio's image shows, breeding
successfully in the wild. Third Prize: Beth Klemick for her
photo
of Bernardo as a cub at the Smithsonian National Zoo.
Congratulations to the winners, and many thanks to all of our
photographers and judges. Buy the 2012 Andean Bear Calendar.
Andean Bear Calendar Photo
Contest Entries
have closed and the judges are now considering 87 beautiful
images
to decide which will make it into the calendar. The panel
of judges
includes professional photographers, bear keepers, authors about bears,
a captive bear husbandry expert, a teddy bear retailer, a leading
wildlife veterinarian and an Andean bear biologist. Many
thanks
to all our photographers and judges. Results will
be
announced on May 1st.
Bubu returns -
Bubu returned to Yanahurco Ranch and is now back in captivity.
It
turns out he had not been left where we had requested, but considerably
closer to the ranch. We are now preparing to liberate him
again,
in the correct site. More information on Bubu's
page.
Site for Andean Bear Sanctuary
Decided -
The site for our Andean Bear Sanctuary has been decided, we have bought
the first hectare of a planned five hectares in the beautiful area of
Las Palmas de Cosanga, in Napo Province, and we hope to start
construction very soon. More details on the Andean
Bear Sanctuary page.
Andean Bear Calendar Photo
Contest We are looking for beautiful photos
of the Andean Bear, Tremarctos ornatus, to feature in a calendar that
will increase awareness of this little-known bear. Entries
must be submitted by 15th April 2011. Full details including
rules and how to enter available in the PDFs Andean
Bear Calendar Photo Contest, Concurso Fotográfico Oso Andino
or Brillenbär Kalender Fotowettbewerb.
Find your nearest zoo
with Andean bears.
Community education workshop
- 35 children and 20 adults from the community of Pizan in Carchi
Province in the north of Ecuador attended a very successful community
workshop
run by Andres Laguna of the Andean Bear Foundation in March 2011.
The community have lost cows in bear attacks and the workshop
is
the beginning of our relationship with them as we work to help them
resolve human-bear conflict and find a way to co-exist with the bears.
Our first "Workshop Wednesday" online event on Facebook the
week
after raised sufficient funds for another workshop, to be held in April
in the community of Tuquer.
Bubu is free! Bubu
bear was returned to the wild on 9th March 2011 - more details on Bubu's
page.
Chase Funding Has
Arrived! The
funding from the Chase competition finally arrived in December.
The money will be used for a range of projects including bear
rehabilitation and liberation, research, investigation of
livestock depredation by Andean bears, community education and the
publication of project results. Many thanks to everyone who
voted
for us!
World First: Andean Bear Den
Found in Cloud Forest For
the first time ever, we found an Andean bear maternity den in cloud
forest.
We'd "lost" Frida, one of our radio collared research bears,
for
several weeks at the beginning of 2010 and when we tracked her down,
she was in a den with a cub. The maternity den was extremely
well
camouflaged and very inaccessible, but when we lowered researchers on
ropes down the steep forested slope we were able to photograph the den.
This ground-breaking find was reported in the November 2010
issue
of International Bear News.
Bubu's Big Event To
raise awareness about the Andean bear and as part of the celebrations
for World Animal Day (4th October), Bubu, our orphaned bear cub, held
his Big Event. Friends all over the
world held social
events during 1st to 4th October
2010 and joined us online. The Event was a great success.
Find more information on Bubu's
page or on his Facebook
profile.
New Research Bear Collared In
early September 2010, Enrique, a large male Andean bear, was fitted
with a radio collar. This means we are currently tracking a
total
of seven wild bears, 5 males and 2 females, in the Intag area of
northern Ecuador.
Blood Analysis Article Published:
The article "Hematological
and
serum biochemical values of Andean bears in Ecuador"
was published in the January 2010 edition of the URSUS journal
(21:115-120) and serves as a
"databank" of values for use by researchers and vets caring for Andean
bears.
Our rescued Andean bear
cub, Bubu,
keeps his friends up to date with news of how his
rehabilitation is going on Facebook - find Bubu
Bear's Facebook Profile.
Andean
Bear Conservation Project News
Updates and news on the Andean Bear Conservation Project
