This Andean Bear needs our help

This young bear was a few weeks old when she was rescued in August 2024 after being found in Angamarca, Cotopaxi (Ecuador), where residents found her chained in an uninhabited house.

They contacted the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition, which, alongside agents of the environmental police department, intervened in the rescue. It is presumed that the cub was separated from her mother just a few weeks after birth and was being kept illegally as a pet.

This bear, whom we named Sisa, was unable to surpass several essential natural processes such as: nursing, foraging and learning natural behaviors of Andean bears. Given this situation, the option of introducing her to the wild was ruled out. Technical representatives from the environmental authorities and bear specialists recommended that a zoo take over her care. The Quito Zoo proposed a plan to take care of this bear cub, developing individualized management and care protocols that would provide her with the best living conditions possible under professional care. .

Here, at the Quito Zoo, we aim to have Sisa to grow up in an environment adapted to her natural habitat in Guayllabamba, in an extended 3,000 m² area with natural resources similar to her natural habitat, where she can thrive under the most natural conditions while being under professional care. This space will not only preserve the slopes and inclines characteristic of the Andean territory, but will also be enriched with native vegetation. In addition, we will build specific areas designed to stimulate the Andean bear’s natural behaviors, such as a pool, climbing structures, resting platforms, and covered areas that will allow for controlled management of environmental conditions