Andean, or Spectacled, Bear Makes Her Debut
February 2009
In early February, a three-year-old female spectacled bear made her debut at the Zoo. Weighing about 125 pounds and still growing, she is quite agile, climbing high in the structures in her yard, located near Amazonia. Visitors may see her every day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Spectacled bears spend a vast amount of time climbing in the wild. The installation of new climbing structures in the new bear's yard are part of the Zoo’s enrichment efforts to provide our animals with physically and mentally stimulating and challenging environments, offering them opportunities to use their natural behaviors and abilities.
The only bear native to South America, spectacled bears (sometimes called Andean bears) live in the Andes range and outlying mountain ranges, from western Venezuela south to Bolivia. Each individual spectacled bear has it own distinctive set or “fingerprint” of distinct cream or whitish markings on its head, throat and chest. 
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