No products in the cart.
Ukumari is the name for the Spectacle Bear, Andean Bear or the famous Paddington bear – in Inka language “Quechua”. The spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is the only specie of bear in South America and one of the most emblematic mammals of the tropical Andes. Their strength vis-à-vis and size is exceptional since they are able to break 7 cm diameter branches with ease.
Size: Ukumari is small in comparison to its relatives in other parts of the world.
Height: 1.5 - 2.00 m. / 4.95 ft. – 6.6 ft.
Weight: 140 - 175 kg. /
Males are up to 50% larger than females.
Ukumari is robust, with a short and muscular neck, short but strong legs. As with all bears, Ukumari walks on the soles of their feet and have longer front than rear legs, making them excellent climbers. Fur is usually black, although it can have dark red-brown tones on the upper-parts. Ukumari sometimes has white to pale yellow markings around the muzzle, on the neck and the chest. These markings may also be present around the eyes, which is the reason for its common name – Spectacled Bear. The spots are different for each animal and, much like fingerprints, are a way of individually identifying specimens.
Social Structure
Ukumari is generally diurnal, shy, peaceful and elusive, avoiding contact with humans. They are usually solitary, but may occasionally be found in relatively high concentrations, when favorite food items are abundant.
Life Cycle
Ukumari´s cubs are born with their eyes shut and weigh about 300g. Eyes are opened after the first month. Cubs are black in colour and already show the white or yellowish 'spectacle' markings. The young grow fairly quickly and at 180 days they already weigh 10kg. Cubs remain with the mother for at least one year after birth. Spectacled bears are estimated to live for just over 20 years.
Breeding
Pairs are formed only for reproduction between March and October, indicating an ability to reproduce at different times of the year. Bears breed for the first time when they are between 4 and 7 years old. The gestation period oscillates between 160 and 255 days, and a litter contains between one and three cubs. Bears generally give birth from September to February.
Diet
The Ukumari has an omnivorous diet, although it is fairly specialized in fruit and different parts of several plants. Ukumari feeds high up in trees as well as on plants growing on the ground. When ripe fruit is not available, Ukumari lives off fibrous parts of plants such as nutritious pulp of bromeliads hearts and tillandsias, soft parts of palms, orchid bulbs and even tree bark. In addition, they eat insects, small rodents and birds. Their strength vis-à-vis their size is exceptional since they are able to break 7 cm diameter branches with ease.
Current Population and Distribution
The Ukumari is found in montane forest from Venezuela to Northern Argentina, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, inhabiting elevations above 3000 m.a.s.l. (9900 ft. a. s. l.) without any problem. According to some researchers, the greatest number of bears is to be found on the borders between Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Recent estimated population sizes for most areas are small, with a total estimate for the Northern Andes (excluding most of Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina) comprised anywhere between 6,000 and 10,000 individuals. Since they live in protected areas, it is common to find them in the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, one of the few places in Peru where these animals can still wander freely without the fear of being hunted.
Major habitat type and threats
Cloud forests (also known as Andean forest) and high Andean moorland (páramo') as the coastal dry forest of northern Peru. The main threats to Ukumari throughout the region are hunting and habitat loss and degradation.
Hunting is one of the major causes of population reduction of this specie. Local inhabitants kill bears for diverse reasons, including subsistence hunting, protection against attacks to livestock and crops (especially corn), fear of the animal due to cultural reasons. It is calculated that around 200 bears are hunted down each year in the region (From Venezuela to northern Argentina). Ukumari is also hunted for parts used in wildlife trade. The gall bladders are valued in traditional oriental medicine and can fetch a high price on the international market; recent estimates put the price at US$ 150 for one, which is 5 times the average monthly wage in Ecuador. There is a large market for bear paws, with one paw bringing in between US$10 and US$20.
Loss and fragmentation of the species habitat is due to the construction of roads, the destruction of forests for illicit crops such as coca and opium poppy with no authorization of their governments, and the use of grazing areas for cattle farming. Many of these threats can be largely attributed to the inequity in land tenure. In the most productive areas of the Northern Andes, property is concentrated in the hands of a few, which means that the poorest inhabitants are forced to occupy the limited land available on the fragile hillsides of mountains inhabited by the spectacled bear. The conditions of rural poverty and the worsening of social conflicts in these countries have intensified this process, which, in the case of Colombia, has been undoubtedly associated with armed conflict and illegal crops.
Protected areas conserving bear habitats and some of their populations are not large enough for the species' survival throughout its range.
Protecting the habitat of the forest's largest animal automatically benefits other forest dwellers, bringing advantages to the whole ecosystem. For this reason, the spectacled bear – Ukumari - is considered a flagship or umbrella species.
The fictional children's character Paddington Bear is a spectacled bear (Ukumari in Quechua language), having come all the way from "darkest Peru".
The spectacled bear – Ukumari - is thought to be the best climber of all the bear species.
