Andean Bear: Gardener and Reforestor of Woods

The Andean Bear is considered the seed disperser of the woods. Eating so much fruit allows these bears to play an important role in forest ecology: the seeds they eat are excreted in their droppings as the bears move around, spreading the seeds over long distances (up to 30 km a day) for the creation of the next generation of fruit trees throughout the forest. In this way they help regenerating the forest and greatly contribute to its sustainability.
Bears are called “umbrella species”, as by protecting them, automatically a huge number of species that coexist with them will also benefit.
Andean bears are highly agile climbers. They can sit in a tree for days on self-made platforms of broken branches, waiting for fruit to ripen. These platforms allow them to rest, help in concealment and allow them to store collected food. When threatened, bears climb as high as possible in a tree, hide, and produce nervous grunts.