Spectacled bears are South America's only bear species and the inspiration for Paddington Bear. Their welfare is threatened by Andean deforestation, illegal trade, and human-wildlife conflict in increasingly fragmented habitat.
Spectacled bear welfare in the wild is increasingly compromised by habitat fragmentation across the Andean mountain chain. As forest is converted to agriculture, bears are pushed into smaller areas and forced into more frequent contact with agricultural land, leading to crop raids and retaliatory killing. Community-based conservation programs that provide economic alternatives to agriculture in critical bear habitat and compensation for crop losses have shown promise in reducing conflict. Spectacled bears are sometimes captured for traditional medicine or as pets — welfare harms that are compounded by their poor survival in captivity without specialized care. Climate change is affecting cloud forest vegetation composition and fruiting patterns, changing the food availability that shapes bear movement and energetic condition. Connectivity between remaining Andean forest fragments through conservation easements and wildlife corridors is the most effective long-term welfare and conservation intervention for this species.