Monitoring of the Andean Bear population (Tremarctos ornatus) in Zuleta - North Ecuador

Yann Potaufeu

Monitoring of the Andean Bear population (Tremarctos ornatus) in Zuleta - North Ecuador

Yann Potaufeu(1)

(1) Galo Plaza Lasso Foundation - fundaciongaloplazalasso.org - [email protected]

All pictures © Galo Plaza Lasso Foundation

Abstract

Zuleta is a small community situated in the northern Ecuadorian Andes and where, since 2009, the Galo Plaza Lasso Foundation carries out a monitoring of the Andean bears (Tremarctos ornatus) that roam its mountains and forests. The individuals are identified by recognition of their white facial markings through direct sighting or camera-trap pictures. At the end of 2013, twenty different bears, including eight cubs, were identified. In this paper we present those bears and our monitoring methods. We discuss their presence and breeding activity in Zuleta.

Introduction

The Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus), or spectacled bear, is the only Ursidae species present in South America and is endemic to the tropical Andes. Its range extends from western Venezuela to northern Argentina, through the Colombian, Ecuadorian, Peruvian and Bolivian Andes (Del Moral and Bracho, 2005). Across its range as a whole, the Andean bear is classified Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, with a decreasing population trend (IUCN 2013). The main threats the species faces are habitat loss and fragmentation as well as poaching (Castellanos et al. 2010; Jorgensen – Sandoval A. 2005; Rodriguez et al. 2003). In Ecuador, this emblematic Andean species is considered Endangered (Libro Rojo de los mamiferos del Ecuador 2011). After a variable gestation period of 160 to 255 days, female Andean bear gives birth to one to four cubs, although rarely more than two. The cubs start to follow their mother at three months old and stay with her between six months and one year and a half (Castellanos et al. 2010; Tirira, D. 2007). Andean bears diet is mostly vegetarian (Troya et al. 2004) but these opportunist omnivorous can also feed on invertebrates, small mammals and even bigger ones such as deer or mountain tapir (Tiria, D. 2007, Castellanos, A. 2011). This wide nutritional range, combined to the increasing human presence in the Andes, sometimes bring the Andean bears into conflict with agricultural activity. They may inflict serious damages in corn crops but also predate on cattle. Such attack became more frequent as the habitat of the bear decreased (Castellanos, A, Laguna A. 2012; Goldstein et al. 2006; Flores et al. 2005).

Zuleta is a small community of the north-Ecuadorian inter-andean valley. It is situated at an altitude of 3000m.a.s.l. in the Imbabura province (fig.1). One of its points of interest is Hacienda Zuleta, a property that once belonged to Galo Plaza Lasso, former president of Ecuador. Now run by his descendants, the Hacienda is still an important working farm but also opened its gates to high-rated tourism. Its lands contain various biotopes including meadows, cultivated fields, swamps, streams, pine forest, eucalyptus forest, native and secondary highland rain forest, pajonal (or sub-páramo), grass and bush highland plateaux (páramos). This environmental diversity shelters a rich wildlife. 135 bird species and 35 mammal species have been identified so far (Carlos Boada et al., 2010; personnal monitoring). Among the medium-sized and larger mammals are the Pudu (Pudu mephistophiles), the Little Red Brocket Deer (Mazama rufina), the White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), the Mountain Paca (Cuniculus taczanowskii), the Mountain Coati (Nasuella olivacea), the Oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus), the Puma (Puma concolor) and the Andean bear. In Zuleta, the presence of the Andean bear dates back as far as the collective memory goes. However, spotting one was a rare opportunity that occasionally happened when people from the community went further out on the páramo to hunt or gather wood. In the past, human activities deterred the bears from coming as close to the Hacienda as they do now. Like everywhere else in the Ecuadorian highlands, the traditional slash-and-burn method of clearing land and forest was frequently used during the summers to provide new space and grass for the livestock. Other examples of habitat destruction included uncontrolled deforestation for construction lumber and firewood and, until recently, large destruction with bulldozers to gain space for human activities. These practices eventually came to an end in the nineties, not without a great deal of resistance. Since then nature has reclaimed the areas surrounding Zuleta, again providing food and shelter to the bears and other species. Andean bears were also hunted, however it was an uncommon practice as the animals were difficult to find. The bear parts were then used in a variety of ways. The fur was used for clothing, the meat eaten, and the fat used for medicinal purpose. Bear hunting, and the hunting of large and middle-sized mammals in general, started to be prohibited and punished with large fines in Zuleta in the late seventies (personal conversations).

fig.1: Zuleta in Imbabura province. The Galo Plaza Lasso Foundation is a non profit NGO founded in 1995 and dedicated to education, social development and conservation in Zuleta and its surroundings. Based at the Hacienda, the Foundation is mostly known for its Condor Huasi Project, a rescue, breeding and awareness centre for the Andean Condor. In October 2009 were taken the first pictures of two bears, a female and a cub, roaming the mountains of the Hacienda. Those bears were identified and this laid the foundations for the Andean Bear Monitoring Project.

This paper summarises the information and data collected during four years (24th October 2009-31st December 2013) concerning the Andean bear population in Hacienda Zuleta.

Methodology

The monitoring of the bear population in Zuleta occurs in a valley named La Rinconada de San Pedro situated on the lands of Hacienda Zuleta. This 130 hectares and 4.5 km long valley consists of meadows and pastures on its first three quarters. The last quarter is secondary and primary highland rain forest. Its flanks are secondary highland rain forest and pajonal that leads to the páramo (fig.2). The bromeliaceae Puya hamata and Tillandsia complanata are highly present in the area. This plant family is the main source of food for the Andean bear (Troya et al.2004) (fig.3).

Fig.2: La Rinconada de San Pedro Fig.3: Puya hamata eaten by Andean bear

Bears are individually identified from the unique white markings of their face, using camera- trapping pictures. The study takes place on a single spot where a feeding platform was installed. The platform is made of wood and has the following dimensions: l:1.6m; w:1.1m; h:1m (fig.5). It is situated at the limit between the pastures and the forest on a north oriented ridge (on the right on fig.2), above the condor cages of the Condor Huasi Project (fig.4) at coordinates N 00°11’35’’ W 078°03’57’’ and at elevation of 3070m.a.s.l. The camera used is a Bushnell® Trophy Cam HD, embedded in a wooden pole to prevent the bears from pulling it out (fig.6). The memory card is checked at least once a fortnight. Also, when given the chance to see bears by direct sighting on a ridge of the mountains, identification would be attempted. If the bear is successfully recognized, such sighting is also included in the study. The five first bears of this study were identified for the first time between October 2009 and January 2010 by direct sighting and “traditional” pictures. The camera-trap monitoring was set up in June 2010.

Bear platform

Condor cages

Fig.4: Condor Huasi enclosures and Bear platform

Fig.5 : Bear platform

Fig.6: camera trap in a wooden pole

Trout guts are put on the platform as a food source for the bears. This is done for several reasons. Because of the potent trout smell, the bears are more likely to come to the platform when they visit the area. As the Hacienda produces trout, the guts are a free by-product and using them is a considerable advantage for the project. Trials were made with fruits such as watermelon, but because of the presence of the Andean White-eared Opossum (Didelphis pernigra) in the area, everything disappeared each time in a single night. The foundation has limited resources and so this was not sustainable. The trout farm is close to the Condor Huasi cages and the platform, making the logistic of the study relatively easy. When trout are prepared and emptied to be used at the Hacienda or sold, leftovers can be used and taken to the platform. This usually occurs once or twice a week depending on the number and frequency of trout prepared, as well as the presence of the bears in the valley and how quickly the food is eaten. As shown in Table 1, the bear monitoring was an occasional activity during the first years. It became steadier in 2013 with a control on 277 days that year.

Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Days of 2 44 104 38 277 monitoring

Table 1: Annually days of monitoring from 2009 to 2013.

For each bear an individual document was created. This document includes the code of the bear, its nickname, the date of first sighting, the year of birth when known, any relationship to other bears and a report of every day the bear was identified on the platform (camera-trap) or by direct sighting on a flank of the valley completed with any interesting observation (mostly interactions with other bears) (fig.7). Each bear received a codename as well as a nickname (more practical for daily work). The codename has the following form: TOZULxxyy. TO stands for Tremarctos ornatus; ZUL for Zuleta; xx is the year in which the bear has been identified for the first time; yy is the order in which the bear appeared during the year xx. As an example, fig.7 represents the first page of the monitoring document of TOZUL0902. She’s thus the second bear identified for the first time in 2009.

Fig.7: monitoring document of TO10902 "Negra" Results and discussion

• Bears of Zuleta

Between October 24th 2009 and December 31st 2013, twenty Andean bears were identified in San Pedro. All portraits are shown in Annex I. Eight bears are male, six are female and six are left undetermined (cubs) (Table 2).

Males Females Undetermined TOZUL0903 TOZUL0901 TOZUL1202 TOZUL1002 TOZUL0902 TOZUL1203 TOZUL1004 TOZUL1001 TOZUL1204 TOZUL1005 TOZUL1003 TOZUL1303 TOZUL1006 TOZUL1101 TOZUL1304 TOZUL1102 TOZUL1301 TOZUL1305 TOZUL1201 TOZUL1302

Table 2: Sex ratio of the Andean bear population in Zuleta

• Presence in San Pedro

Tables 3 and 4 illustrate the presence of the twenty bears in San Pedro. They show the number of days each one was identified at the platform through camera-trapping or by direct sighting on the edges of the valley. The percentage of presence is determined by the number of days seen out of the number of days of monitoring since their first identification. Graphic representations are in Annex II.

Bear (TOZUL-) 0901 0902 0903 1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 1101 Days of 17 107 2 27 68 37 11 7 18 15 presence % of presence since first 3,7 23 0,4 5,8 14,7 8 2,5 1,7 4,3 3,7 sighting.

Table 3: Presence of the bears in San Pedro (1)

Bear (TOZUL-) 1102 1201 1202 1203 1204 1301 1302 1303 1304 1305 Days of 12 1 19 127 1 10 12 13 13 5 presence % of presence since first 3,7 0,3 6,4 43,2 0,3 3,9 5,9 7,8 7,8 6 sighting.

Table 4: Presence of the bears in San Pedro (2) Two bears are very present in San Pedro: the cub TOZUL1203 and its mother TOZUL0902. In third position, TOZUL1002 is the most present male in the valley. Two bears were only seen once between 2009 and 2013: the male TOZUL1201 and the cub TOZUL1204. The calculated percentages for the bears identified in 2013 have to be put into perspective due to the low number of days of monitoring between their identification and the 31st of December 2013. On the 465 days of monitoring, nocturnal activity (between 19:00 and 5:00) has been recorded on 34 nights (7,31%).

• Breeding and cubs

The monitoring of the Andean bear in Zuleta started with the observation of females and their cubs. Indeed, the two bears identified in October 2009 were the female TOZUL0901 and her cub TOZUL0902, a female too, that had her own cub since then. Also, in January 2010, the female TOZUL1001 was seen on the ridges of the mountains with her cub TOZUL1002, a male that is thought to be the father of some of the latest cubs. Six other cubs were identified then. Three were born in 2012 (TOZUL1202, TOZUL1203 and TOZUL1204) and three in 2013 (TOZUL1303, TOZUL1304 and TOZUL1305). Only one female had two littermates while the four others seen with cub showed up with just one. (cf. fig.8 and photos in Annex III).

TOZUL0901 (♀) TOZUL1001 (♀) TOZUL1003 (♀) TOZUL1101 (♀) ? (♀)

2009 TOZUL0902 (♀) TOZUL1002 (♂)

2012 TOZUL1203 TOZUL1202 TOZUL1204

2013 TOZUL1303 TOZUL1304 TOZUL1305

. Fig.8: Andean bears genealogy in Zuleta.

Fig.8 shows that TOZUL0902, who was born in 2009, had her first cub in 2012, at the age of three. It also illustrates an example of time laps between two litters with TOZUL1001 who had a cub in 2009 and then two littermates in 2013.

Cub Mother Date of last Date of Date of last Date of first sighting of first sighting of sighting of the cub the mother sighting of mother and independent or the alone before the cub cub together mother alone again birth TOZUL0902 TOZUL0901 / 24-10-09 24-10-09 22-09-10 (cub) TOZUL1002 TOZUL1001 / 03-01-10 31-01-10 09-09-10 (cub) TOZUL1202 TOZUL1003 24-10-11 10-08-12 18-08-12 14-05-13 (cub) TOZUL1203 TOZUL0902 26-10-11 11-08-12 30-03-13 05-04-13 (both) TOZUL1204 unidentified / 17-08-12 17-08-12 / TOZUL1303 TOZUL1001 28-04-12 23-06-13 07-08-13 / TOZUL1304 TOZUL1001 28-04-12 23-06-13 07-08-13 / TOZUL1305 TOZUL1101 20-04-12 22-09-13 28-10-13 /

Table 5: key dates of the breeding.

Table 5 shows the important dates of the breeding period for the eight cubs. As the two first cubs were identified by direct sighting, before the camera-trap was set up, it is hard to draw conclusions for them from these data. TOZUL1203 and its mother TOZUL0902 being the two most present bears in the area, a more precise monitoring of their relationship could be done. The six cubs that appeared at the platform after the camera-trap was placed showed up with their mother during the dry season, between the end of June and the end of September. It is highly probable they were born during the second quarter of the year. TOZUL1202 and TOZUL1203 became independent around the same period the next year. The littermates TOZUL1303 and TOZUL1304 showed up earlier in the year (June) than the other cubs but they were also the only ones still seen suckling. All three cubs of 2012 were seen for the first time on the same week, in August, and the data between TOZUL1202 and TOZUL1203, except the last sighting of mother and cub together, are very similar. Only one mother, TOZUL0902, has been seen with a male (TOZUL1002) some months before she gave birth, on the 06-07-11 and 07-07-11. Between 2009 and 2013, males and females were seen together on four other occasions, during very various months: one time in January, one time in July and two times in October.

• Conflicts with humans

Hacienda Zuleta has no corn fields but counts hundreds of cattle head on its lands. Nevertheless, only one attack on a calf has been reported and witnessed, in March 2013. The responsible bear could not be identified. Yachak, the bear identified by Andean Bear Foundation biologist Andres Laguna, and responsible of several attacks on cattle in the provinces of Carchi and Imbabura has never been seen at the platform in San Pedro. Despite the fact the bears are fed on trout guts, no predation has been reported at the trout farms.

In November 2011, as part of the “Wild Condors Project”, a dead horse was left to the páramo with a camera trap to check what condors would come. No condors appeared but one bear, TOZUL1102, visited and fed at the carcass between the 10th and the 20th of December.

Conclusion

The lands of Zuleta house a regular resident Andean bear population. In 2013 an average of seven different bears was seen each month. This population seems to do well as three cubs showed up in 2012, and three others in 2013. The Andean bear monitoring project is still ongoing and 2014 already has its share of good news with new and previously identified bears. It should also soon take place on a bigger geographic range as it is intended to build a second monitoring platform on the other side of the Hacienda property, three valleys away and at a distance of 4.5km from the first one. Undoubtedly, new interesting data will be available in the future of this project.

References

- Bland, A. What Should Be Done With Yachak, the Cattle-Killing Bear of the Andes. Smithsonian.com. April 3, 2013. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-should- be-done-with-yachak-the-cattle-killing-bear-of-the-andes-15309413/?no-ist.

- Boada, C., C. Rodríguez and N. Tinoco. 2010. Diversidad de Aves y Mamíferos en dos localidades de la comunidad de Zuleta, provinvia de Imbabura, Ecuador. Quito.

- Castellanos, A., A. Laguna. 2012. Depredación a ganado vacuno y mamíferos silvestres por oso andino en el norte de Ecuador. X Congreso Internacional de manejo de fauna silvestre en la Amazonia y América latina. Página 110-114 – Cd memorias del congreso.

- ______. Do Andean Bears Attack Mountain Tapir? Internatinal Bear News, November 2011, 20(4): 41-42.

- ______, J. Cevallos, A. Laguna, L. Achig, P. Viteri y S. Molina. 2010. Estrategia nacional de conservación del Oso Andino. 1-22pp. Imprenta Anyma. Quito-Ecuador.

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- Rodríguez, D., F. Cuesta, I. Goldstein, A.E. Bracho, L.G. Naranjo, and O.L. Hernandez. 2003. Ecoregional strategy for the conservation of the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) in the northern Andes. WWF Colombia, Fundación Wii, EcoCiencia, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Red Tremarctos.

- Tirira, D.G. (ed.).2011. Libro Rojo de los mamíferos del Ecuador. 2a. edición. Fundación Mamíferos y Conservación, Pontifica Universidad Católica del Ecuador y Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador. Publicación especial sobre los mamíferos del Ecuador 8. Quito.

- Tirira, D. 2007. Guía de campo de los mamíferos del Ecuador. Ediciones Murciélago Blanco. Publicación especial sobre los mamíferos del Ecuador 6. Quito. 576 pp.

- Troya, V., F. Cuesta, and M. Peralvo. 2004. Food habits of Andean bears in the Oyacachi River Basin, Ecuador. Ursus 15:59-62.

My thanks to:

Ximena Pazmiño, Fernando Polanco, Carolina Mosquera and Sarah Clifford for having welcomed me in Zuleta in 2013 and given to me the awesome opportunity to work with the Galo Plaza Lasso Foundation. Marco Alvear and Antonio Gualacata, keepers of the trout farm, for their help with the trout supply; and all the workers who were involved in that project in the early years. All the volunteers I had in 2013 for the identification work on dozens of thousands of pictures. Galo Plaza Pallares and Eliseo Sandoval for the memories of Zuleta. Evelyn Capelin, Galo Enrique Rivera and Robyn MacConnell for proof-reading and editing this paper.

Annex I – Portraits of the Andean Bears of Zuleta (1/2)

TOZUL0901 TOZUL0902 TOZUL0903

TOZUL1001 TOZUL1002 TOZUL1003

TOZUL1004 TOZUL1005 TOZUL1006

TOZUL1101 TOZUL1102 TOZUL1201 Annex I – Portraits of the Andean Bears of Zuleta (2/2)

TOZUL1202 TOZUL1203 TOZUL1204

TOZUL1301 TOZUL1302 TOZUL1303

TOZUL1304 TOZUL1305

Annex II – Presence of the different bears in San Pedro

140 127

120

100

80 days of presence 60 43,2 % of presence since first 40 identification 19 20 12 12 13 13 10 7,8 7,8 6,4 3,9 5,9 5 6 3,7 10,3 10,3 0

Annex III – Cubs identified in San Pedro and their mother (1/2)

Cub TOZUL0902 with mother TOZUL0901 (October 2009) Cub TOZUL1002 with mother TOZUL1001 (January 2010)

Cub TOZUL1202 with mother TOZUL1003 Cub TOZUL1203 with mother TOZUL0902

Annex III – Cubs identified in San Pedro and their mother (2/2)

Cub TOZUL1204 with unidentified mother Cub TOZUL1305 with mother TOZUL1101

Cubs TOZUL1303 and TOZUL1304 with mother TOZUL1001 (July 2013, picture date is wrong)