Trap cameras to protect the Spectacled Bear!
© Michaël Moens
In a joint project led by the Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Carnivoresof the USFQ, together with the Fundación Condor Andino, the Fondo Para la Protección del Agua (FONAG) and the Jocotoco Foundation, a preliminary study was carried out with camera traps to learn more about the population dynamics and ecology of the Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus). A total of 31 cameras were placed at different sites in the eastern part of the Quito Metropolitan District and in the buffer zones of the Antisana and Cayambe Coca National Park. To our great excitment, the camera traps recorded the presence of at least 20 individual bears. Other fauna that were captured on the cameras include deer, foxes, pudus and pumas.
Many records were made near agricultural and livestock areas, a sensitive situation that might endanger their survival. The next step of this extensive project is focused on carrying out a strategy for the implementation of education, environmental awareness and the mitigation of human-fauna conflicts. It is also intended to reinforce monitoring with camera traps as a tool for the conservation and protection of the Spectacled Bear.
Fundación Jocotoco protects this fantastic mammal in at least four of its reserves. Our Chakana reserve is especially known for its healthy population of bears. Located an hour and a half from Quito, it is the ideal place to look for this great mammal in its natural habitat. With this project, eight cameras were placed at Chakana, which recorded the presence of several cubs (photo).
