News from the Santa Martha Rescue Center

By: Armando Castellanos, Director, Andean Bear Research Project (FUNDEBO) and Andean Bear Foundation

On the 21 February 2006, Dr Leonardo Arias (the FUNDEBO vet), Rescue center staff, police and local press took part in the rescue of a subadult female Andean Bear, called Celine. She was being kept as part of a private collection of rare animals used as a tourist attraction in the La Mana community, near the city of Latacunga (in the south-western region of Ecuador). When rescued, Celine was underweight and malnourished. Thankfully, since her rescue, her health has improved and she has put on weight.

Between April and mid – July 2006, two other Andean bears, Leo and Beto, will enter a more intense rehabilitation phase. This phase will be carried out by undergraduate biology students from the Central University of Ecuador and project volunteers. We plan to release these bears by the end of July in the Yanahurco Hacienda, thanks to financial support received from the BBC (for more details see “News from Hacienda Yanahurco”).

The Andean Bear Project recently won a grant from AZFA the Clark Waldram Conservation Foundation for the extension of the bear enclosure at Santa Martha. This funding was very important given the continuous escapes and lack of security of the current enclosure. The grant is being used to reconstruct the current enclosure. These activities are being carried out at the moment and we hope to finish them by mid – April. Meanwhile, Leo, Beto and Celine are being housed in a temporary enclosure.