ARGENTINA: Spectacled Bear is born in the Buenos Aires zoo

Argentine zoo receives its first baby of 2007 with the birth of a Spectacled Bear, an endangered species. A healthy and frisky Spectacled Bear was born in the Buenos Aires zoo, delighting visitors on Tuesday (January 16). After an eight-month gestation period without complications, the baby bear was born healthy and playful, symbolizing another achievement in the preservation of the species. Miguel Rivolta, the head of the zoo's veterinarians, said the birth of the bear represents the first time a member of the endangered species has reproduced at the zoo, located in the northern park district of the Argentine capital. "This the first time that a Spectacled Bear has been born in Argentina. There are very few in captivity. It's a very threatened species and, as we said, it's a success every time one is born," Rivolta told Reuters. Zoo officials consider the Spectacled Bear - also known as the Andean Bear and scientifically as the Tremarctos omatus - to be the least known among the various bear species in the world. According to reports, Spectacled Bears can still be found in the wild in Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. The spectacled bear - called "Ukuko" by the native communities of the Andes Mountains - is the only bear on the South American continent and was considered by natives to be a link between the earth and the spiritual world. The bear's name comes from its solid black colour broken only by yellowish-white around the eyes and extending to the chest and neck. The markings vary considerably within the species, acting as a defining factor for each individual bear. Male bears standing on their hind legs reach a height of nearly six feet (1.8 metres) and can weigh over 300 pounds (140 kilograms) while the female bears are usually around four and a half feet tall (1.4 metres) and don't weigh over 130 pounds (60 kilograms). The normal birth weight of a young bear like the one born in the zoo is around 14 oz (400 grams). Although they occasionally eat meat, the bears are basically vegetarians, foraging for berries, roots, honey and fruits in the jungles and forests of South America's subtropical regions. The dense foliage in the bear's native environment makes them practically impossible to see, adding to their low profile amongst bear species. Scientists use other signs to detect the presence of the bears, looking for track, hair, scat or the large dens the bears build in trees to sleep. According to experts, the bear's ability to live high in the trees of the Andes and the Amazon have saved it from complete extinction. Nonetheless, it's listed after its close relative, the Great Panda, as the most endangered of the bear species. Poaching and deforestation are the principal factors that have led to the decline in numbers of the Spectacled Bear.

ITN Source | January 19, 2007

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