Espiritu del Bosque Foundation Logo Andean Bear Conservation Project Title Andean Bear Conservation Project Logo
Help us save the Andean Bear before they dissapear forever

Tracking Andean Bears in the Wild

The localizations of the study specimens are obtained in two ways:

  1. By means of direct observation. When the bears cannot be seen due to dense vegetation, slope, climatic conditions or topography, we try to hear them move among the foliage. This way we have less error in determining the localizations and associating them with the habitat type the bear occupies.

  2. By means of triangulation, a method by which location can be accurately determined using three bearings.

Volunteers tracking a bear We track the locations of each bear by taking bearings from designated stations, which have been mapped by GPS. Using mapping software, it is possible to triangulate to determine the exact location of the animal. We can tell the specific types of habitats used by the bears, as well as those not chosen, by comparing this data with a satellite image of the area. Thus, we can learn their preferences by analyzing the choices they made. We can also measure the Home Range and Core Area of each bear.

Localizations are placed on a 1:25,000 scale map of the region. Later, the obtained localization points will be digitalized using the data program Arcview 3.1, using a satellite image of the study area. The Home Range is estimated using the convex minimum polygon method by means of GIS, and the calculations of Core area by means of the program Arcview 3.1.

The use and selection of habitat will be established by the number of direct localizations that are inside each habitat type, categorized previously, for both seasonal use and for the complete study. Starting from the perimeter of the Home Range for each bear, the percentage of every type of available habitat will be calculated by means of Arcview 3.1. The confidence intervals of Bonferroni, in accordance with Byers et. al. (1984) will be used to determine the preference, aversion to or use of similar habitats during each season and the complete study.

The activity of the studied bears is recorded every hour of the day, and sometimes during the night (active-inactive) according to the intensity of sequential pulsation of the radio signal received, or by direct observation. The activity patterns (AP) will be calculated for every hour of the day and night during each climatic season and the complete study. The G-test will be used to compare the AP every hour of the night and day within and between seasons.