There’snomarmalade,nofelthat,nodule
coat–butthesightofPaddington’swildcousin,
thespectacledbear,initsnaturalhabitatis
moreheartwarmingeventhanMichaelBond’s
belovedcreation.Classiiedasvulnerable,
duetoextensivelossofthespecies’Andean
habitat,probablyfewerthan10,000adult
spectacledbearssurvive,withthelargest
remainingpopulationinPeru.
Theplacetolookforthemisamongthe
folded,striatedmountainsofChaparríPrivate
Reserve,an84,000-acrenaturereservethat
spreadsalongPeru’snortherncoast.Eagles,
vulturesandAndeancondorssoarabovethe
cragshere,andendangeredwhite-winged
guan–similartoaslender,pink-throatedturkey–
canbespottedfeedinginfruit-bearingtrees.Longprotectedinthereserve,thebearsare
seenwithreasonablefrequencyontrailhikes–
watchforthatcharacteristicpalefacialmarking,
whichvariesfromaminimalTshapealongnose
andbrow,tofull-ongoggles.Evenifyou’renot
fortunateenoughtoencounteroneonthetrails
(whereyoumightalsoseepeccaryorwhite-
taileddeer),youcanmeetoneinsemi-wild
enclosuresatthereserve’srescuecentre.
Toptips:PeruisdrierbetweenMayandOctober;
Septemberispeakmonthforbearsightings.
There’sanotherspectacledbearrescuecentre
attheInkaterraMachuPicchuPuebloHotelin
AguasCalientes.
Alsotry:BrownbearinPindosMountains,
Greece;grizzliesontheKatmaiPeninsula,Alaska;
polarbearonSvalbard,Norway.124
WHEN?
Wildlifeviewing
atPeru’sChaparrí
PrivateReserveis
bestintheearlymorning
andalsolateevening.Theclassic:ViewforagingEuropeanbrownbearsfromahideineasternFinland
Thealternative:FocusonspectacledbearsindarkestPeru
Alamy
ALTERNATIVE SECRET WILDLIFE EXPERIENCES
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