Spectacled bears are the only extant bear species in South America, found in Andean cloud forests from Venezuela to Bolivia. Deforestation for agriculture, particularly in Colombia, is reducing their habitat and increasing human-bear conflict.
Spectacled bears killed in retaliatory crop raids experience acute welfare harm. Habitat fragmentation forces bears into more frequent contact with agricultural areas as their cloud forest home shrinks. Cubs whose mothers are killed face starvation and cold exposure at high altitude. The intersection of deforestation, poverty, and wildlife conflict makes spectacled bear welfare inseparable from Andean community development and forest conservation.