North American Andean Bear Population

I certainly hope they wouldn't. Those grottos are absolutely no longer suitable for housing bears. I have always thought rennovating those grottos into a complex for Andean bears would be the best use of the space. The zoo, specifically C.R.E.W. has done a lot to support polar bears in North America, but the zoo simply does not have the appropriate space for them any longer (nor are there any available animals in the population!). Those grottos would allow for two decently sized habitats for the much smaller Andean bear, allowing the zoo to maintain a bear species in its collection with appropriate housing, all the while supporting a program in need (versus bringing back American black bears). Only time will tell what the zoo ends up deciding to do with the space.

 

Between Polar Bears and Andean Bears, which do you think the zoo would pick to build a new enclosure for?

 

They recently received a grant to aid in polar bear reproduction so I’d say that’s likely the direction that they will go in. Plus Toledo and Columbus both breed them and I doubt they’ll want to let the others get a leg up if they can control it. It’d be nice to see all three species return but there simply isn’t enough space for all the bears if you have 5 acres for elephants, plus Roo valley, and all these gibbon and penguin exhibits.

 

The male cub has been named Pacha and the female is Nuna!

 

Salisbury Zoo announces the birth of Andean bear cubs, born 1/16/2022. These cubs represent the third litter for their female "Chaska," her second with their male, "Pinocchio" (who, significantly, is wild-born). It is her first successful litter of twins.

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Wonderful news! Glad to see cubs being born to Pinocchio.

 

Not bad for a hand-raised bear who thinks he's a dog

 

This individual recently passed away, leaving Toledo without any Andean Bears.

 

As recently reported on the *Phoenix Zoo News* thread. Rio unfortunately had to be euthanized after she was found with a tumor that appeared to be blocking up her bladder. The bear was at the age of 26 when she passed, which now leaves the zoo with only one individual bear, a male named Agapito/“Auggie”.

 

At least he was moved to the zoo, IIRC it was quite recently. Otherwise a keystone habitat there would be empty. Terrible to hear of Rio passing though.

 

From further research, besides Beardsley Zoo, I compiled a list of North American collections that held Andean bears (Tremarctos ornatus) in the past/historically.

Jacksonville Zoo

Buffalo Zoo

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Los Angeles Zoo

Maryland Zoo

Memphis Zoo

Brookfield Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo

San Francisco Zoo

Henry Vilas Zoo

Zoo Atlanta

Louisiana Purchase Zoo

Oklahoma City Zoo

Jackson Zoo

Montgomery Zoo

Little Rock Zoo

Riverbanks Zoo

Pittsburgh Zoo

El Paso Zoo

Houston Zoo

Sedgwick County Zoo

Tulsa Zoo

Detroit Zoo

Oregon Zoo

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park

Lincoln Children's Zoo

Oglebay Good Zoo

Erie Zoo

Caldwell Zoo

Calgary Zoo

And

Assiniboine Park Zoo

 

Zoo World in Panama City Beach, FL also held two males, the last ones I recall in the state.

Also Silver Springs had them at one point.

 

They get interesting animals. At one point they had a Sumatran Tiger that was a cub from Lowry Park, IIRC.

 

In Mexico Chapultepec zoo , Zacango zoo, Morelia zoo , San Juan de Aragón zoo and Africam Safari Puebla have held andean bear. The original pair was the recently deceased male Charlie from Jersey and Female Arica from Leipzig who arrived at Chapultepec in 1994. All the ándean bears at the other zoos where the offspring of Charlie and Arica.

 

Very sad news, and so unexpected....but that is about a polar bear rather than Andean bears (which is what this thread is for).

 

1.0 Diamond at Racine Zoo has died.

 

I’m so sad that Nieve at the Toledo Zoo passed away. I wish the zoo would have announced it. I found out when I had to ask a docent why there are now dingos in her yard.

 

Unfortunatly, Nieve had passed due to Epilepsy. And the Cougars are planned to move into her enclosure in the future. If you want more information about the whole thing, I reccomend checking out the Toledo Zoo News 2022 thread.

 

The female at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is named Cayenne or Cay for short. Also her and and Alfred will be going to other zoos while construction is being done on their habitat.

 

Do you know where they're heading to or if they'll be coming back once the construction is finished?