Dear supporter,

Welcome to our first ever Andean Bear Newsletter! A lot of interesting things have happened on our project in the last few months and in this newsletter you can read several stories about our progress.

As part of our mission to gain International support for Andean Bear Conservation we are looking at ways to improve our public profile. Here's just a few of the ways we have moved towards this in the last few months:

• Our new website is now live, with a wealth of information and photos. Both volunteers and supporters can now easily find out information about our work online.

• Our digital newsletter system is now up and running. This newsletter will be the first of many, keeping you in touch with our progress.

• Armando recently attended the International Bear Conference in Italy. Interest in our work from the bear community was overwhelming and we have gained much support for our cause.

• We have begun discussions with the Yanahurco Reserve, a popular tourist destination, about setting up a new rehabilitation and release centre within the reserve.

 

Main Stories

• Volunteer Update

  Catch up on all the news from the field in Dave's summary of the volunteer work that's been happening over the last few months.

• Colleen's Release

  Colleen, a three-year-old, female bear was released into the Yanahurco reserve in October. Her release was a complete success and she is now enjoying a life in the wild , pristine forests near the Cotopaxi National Park.

• The Rescue of Marcia, an Andean Bear Cub

  Members from the Andean Bear Conservation project arrived at a farm in the Northern part of Ecuador to find a distressed female cub living in a small, dirty cage normally used to house guinea pigs. The cub was immediately taken to the Segunda Oportunidad Rescue Center where she is recovering with the intention of one day releasing her back into the wild.

• The Death of the Andean Bear Gabriel

  After escaping from the Santa Martha Animal Rescue Center, Gabriel, a juvenile male bear, eluded capture for several days. Eventually he was cornered up a tree and staff and volunteers from the center attempted to tranquilise him. Sadly, the stress of the situation caused Gabriel to react badly to the drugs and he died from cardiac arrest.

 

We need your help!

As always we are in need of your support. With the money raised from our online donation site we are now looking to move into new areas. We need volunteers to help us explore potential sites, gain support from local communities and establish work stations in these new areas. If you are interested in supporting this vital work, please check out the volunteer section

Even if you're not able to volunteer you can still help! Despite being the leading project studying wild Andean Bears we receive little financial support. We depend on donations to be able to continue and extend our work. Donating is safe and easy with our new online donation system. Alternatively you can send us a cheque. Please see the donation section if you'd like to offer some financial support.