Colleen's Release

By: Colleen Pawling, Rehabilitation Coordinator Intag Andean Bear Research Project (FUNDEBO)

On October 31, Biologist Armando Castellanos released the young bear, Colleen, and she completed a long journey that began when she was orphaned as a cub.

Armando rescued her as a cub two years ago in the community of Chaco, a few hours east of Quito. It is thought she was captured when someone shot her mother and she was subsequently sold to a man who was building a private collection of rare animals for a tourist attraction. She was about 6 months old, but weighed only about 5 kilos (11 pounds). In the words of veterinary Leonardo Arias, she was “all fur,” and nearing death from poor nutrition.

It was touch and go for a couple of weeks whether she would survive, as Leonardo fed her on an IV in his clinic. When she finally succeeded in eating and digesting fruits and baby formula, she was sent to a rescue centre to be cared for until ready for release.

In June of this year, Colleen escaped from her half acre (quarter hectare) enclosure at the rescue centre. She was recaptured ten days later by Armando who lured her back to her enclosure with food. Since she showed no signs of ill health or weight loss from her flirtation with freedom, Armando decided it was time to prepare her to live in the wild.

He arranged with the Hacienda Yanahurco to release her near the edge of the Hacienda, near the border with the Cotopaxi National Park and the Antisana Reserve. This constitutes a huge area of roadless, unsettled land, where contact with humans is extremely unlikely, giving Colleen the best opportunity to adjust to living in the wild.

Before she could be released, Colleen had to be able to recognize and eat all the foods that would be available in the wild. In September, volunteer Daniel Zwolenski was put in charge of her rehabilitation. He went into the forest and collected the key foodstuffs of wild bears: worms; suro, the bamboo that forms the biggest part of the bears’ diet in the wild; and bromeliads. He helped Colleen learn which kinds of foods to eat instinctively, and she was subsequently released October 31 2005.

Veterinary Leonardo Arias, Armando, Daniel, and an entourage including teams from three television stations and two newspapers all gathered at Colleen’s enclosure at 6:00 AM. Leonardo immobilised her and she was transported in a cage by jeep for three hours to the Hacienda. From there, we all mounted horses and she was carried on horseback another 3 hours across paramo (the high grasslands of the Andes) to the release location just within the edge of the high Andean forest.

Colleen was starting to regain consciousness as Armando settled her carefully on the ground, making her comfortable. After about half an hour she sat up, staggered a few steps, and then lay back down. “She has a BIG hangover,” Leonardo said. She looked around and tried a few more steps in another direction. As she became more alert she looked out on the paramo. She seemed to notice the crowd and took a few steps away from us. Soon she was walking around the release spot and within about 45 minutes of waking, she turned and walked in to the densely forested mountainside and out of sight.

Given the remote location, chances are Colleen will never be seen again by a human. Her collar is being tracked periodically by radio telemetry from an ultra light airplane. Colleen’s progress will be documented for presentation to the Ministry of the Environment. This is essential data to inform the Ministry whether the release of bears into the wild should be permitted in the future.

Colleen’s rehabilitation and release went perfectly, and her chances of survival are excellent. While we cannot see her, we know from her radio signal that she is exploring her new home in the wild, as nature intended.