It's been another amazing few months for the Andean Bear Project. Despite the
onslaught of the rainy season our small group of dedicated volunteers and staff
have continued to gather vital data on our wild bears. For their hard work
they've been well rewarded with an unprecedented number of bear sightings,
a rescue of a new female, and the capture and collaring of a new wild male!
Our online donation program has gotten off to a very successful start.
A number of generous donations have allowed us to take the Andean Bear project
in new directions. We have relocated cages to new areas (resulting in the
capture of our new male) and we now have enough funds to purchase new radio
collars for future captures. Thank you all for your support, we could not
continue our work without your continued efforts!
As part of our on-going push to gain more awareness and attract more volunteers
we have recently joined with EcoTeer, a new
online volunteer website. Unlike most volunteer sites they are non-profit, allowing
volunteers to find us without paying an arm and a leg.
Welcome to our latest team member: 'Alvaro'. Alvaro is a young, male bear captured this month in
the Alto Choco reserve. He was succesfuly fitted with a radio collar and released with minimal
stress. Alvaro will join the group of wild bears that we track, providing vital information on the
movements of the elusive males bears.
Celine, a sub-adult, female bear was recently confiscated from an illegal animal display. She now joins
Leo and Beto at the Santa Martha Rescue Center. This has put an extra strain on the all-ready over stretched
resources of Santa Martha. Fortunately, new support from AZFA and the BBC will help us improve Santa Martha and
release Beto and Leo.
The continued success of Colleen (a female bear released last year) in Yanahurco opens the way for
future releases in this area. The BBC have commissioned a new TV series to film the release of Beto and
Leo. As such they have generously pledged support for the establishment of a new bear rehabilitation
enclosure in Yanahurco.
Sighting an Andean Bear in the wild is a rare occurrence and is usually only possible when bears
leave the forest and head out into the open. Recently however, a small group of staff and volunteers
sighted not one, but three wild Andean bears while out on a routine hike!
Patrick, one of our long term volunteers, gives us an inside view into the real life of
a volunteer bear tracker. Patrick compares his expectations with the reality of volunteer life
and gives a personal view on the advantages of being a volunteer vs. being a tourist.
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.
