Last week a camera trap placed deep in Colombia’s Arrierito Antioqueño Nature Reserve snapped several nice photos of a Spectacled bear ambling through the reserve’s rainforest. These pictures mark the first sighting of this rare species in the reserve and are a good sign that Arrierito Antioqueño – which was doubled in size with Rainforest Trust support– is thriving.

The shy Spectacled bear makes its home in the dense Andean jungles of South America and has the distinction of being the only bear species found on the continent. Estimates suggest fewer than 3,000 of these bears remain in the wild today, and researchers attribute these low numbers to habitat destruction and fragmentation.

Spectacled bears, also known as Andean bears and Jucumaris, are most active at night and are primarily vegetarian, enjoying a diet of fruit, berries, cacti, and honey. The species’ unusual name stems from the bright rings that encircle their eyes, which inspire frequent comparisons to glasses.

The Arrierito Antioqueño Nature Reserve is found within three overlapping eco-regions and is home to a number of endemic species, including twenty-two endangered amphibians and birds, which makes it a critical site for conservation.

In 2001, an expedition by our Colombian partner ProAves confirmed the existence of the endangered Chestnut-capped Piha, known locally as the Arriereto Antioqueño, among the fragmented forests of Colombia’s Antioquia Department. To protect this rare bird, found only in Colombia, ProAves created the 1,773-acre Arriereto Antioqueño Nature Reserve. With support from Rainforest Trust, the reserve was expanded in 2011 to cover over 5,300 acres.

At the time of the reserve’s creation, doubts existed as to the Spectacled bear’s numbers and even existence in the area. As these new camera trap photos indicate, however, the creation and expansion of the Arrierito Antioqueña Nature Reserve is helping the local Spectacled bear population to rebound. This is exciting news for the reserve as Spectacled bears are commonly considered a keystone species in the Andes with their numbers used to evaluate overall ecosystem health.