Andean bears are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, with a likely decline of more than 30 percent within the next 30 years. Threatened by habitat destruction, human conflict, and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade, it is estimated that around 200 Andean bears are killed by humans each year. Smithsonian scientists, including Dr. Don Neiffer, Chief Veterinarian at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, are working tirelessly to save these bears. Along with our supporters, we’re right beside them.
With Conservation Nation’s funding, Dr. Neiffer and his team traveled to remote Peru to help foreign colleagues manage the INKATERRA Machu Picchu Spectacled Bear Project, an effort designed to recover bears that have been affected by human impact and to reintroduce them to their natural habitat. With our Nation of supporters, we are committed to helping the Andean bear thrive in the wild.
