Mysterious Ucumari: The Andean Bear in Nature and Culture

Abstract

The only ursid native to South America, the spectacled bear ( Tremarctos ornatus ) still occurs in parts of the Urubamba Valley and its tributaries where human impact has been low. Small size (90-150 kg), distinctive facial markings, and a strong tree-climbing habit set this species, called ucumari in Quechua, apart from bears elsewhere in the world. Never abundant, the bear's chief habitat has been in the upper montane zone from Western Venezuela to Southern Bolivia. Although its present geographic spread approximates the past, its distribution has contracted into non-contiguous "island" zones. Human associations with the spectacled bear give it a minor role in folk medicine and peasant nourishment, but a striking place in Andean folklore. Certain anthropic resemblances between man and beast reinforced a belief that male bears sexually paired with women. Far from being an indigenous notion, evidence indicates that Spaniards transferred this to the Andes from a similar folklore involving the European bear species. Shy and elusive, the ucumari is better known from inferential evidence of it, such as claw marks, than from encounters with the animal itself. To reverse its declining numbers, hunting and habitat must be addressed. When spectacled bears eat crops (especially maize) or attack livestock, peasants target them. Recently, agents have begun buying bear parts that are valued in Asian medicine. The future of this bear, a wild animal of the Andes, also depends upon maintaining the pristine character of the upper montane forest where human impact has been low, but is now increasing.

Ecuadorian Children’s Willingness to Protect Endangered Species – Identifying Behavioral Predictors in a Biodiversity Hotspot

“…Moreover, Andean bears are often perceived as aggressors that harm humans or their livestock, however, this could also be argued for the Andean condor (Restrepo et al, 2019;Zukowski & Ormsby, 2016). Nevertheless, the condor is a charismatic species and is present in the Ecuadorian national coat of arms (Gade, 2016), perhaps explaining the different results for these species. Yet, this discrepancy between the species cannot fully be explained by the present data.…”

La onomástica de nombres erróneos en la construcción de andinidad fallida y débil andeancia: el imperativo de microrefugios bioculturales en los Andes

“…Another example comes from the Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) that is often identified with the highlands, while the distribution of this bear includes preferentially the cloud forest areas and the interfluvial slopes of watersheds (Camargo & Sarmiento, forthcoming). The mystical conception of the ukumari for comprehension of the Andean identity is reflected in the theriomorphic interpretation of its ethology (Gade, 2016), obscured by mythopoeic and narratives of isolation and wonder widespread in its home range. For instance, the entire region of Chachapoyas in northeastern Peru is drained by the Utcubamba river, or the countryside near Cuenca in southern Ecuador, of Ucubamba, literally "land of bears.…”

La importancia del oso andino y otras especies: Guía ilustrada de los mamíferos terrestres

“…En Colombia existen un bajo numero de investigaciones publicadas sobre el hábitat y/o ecología de T. ornatus (Orejuela & Jorgenson 1999;Peyton 1999;Poveda 1999;Minambiente 2001;Payán 2004;Jorgenson & Sandoval-A 2005;Morales-Betancourt & Estévez-Varón 2006;Cavelier et al 2011;Arias-Alzate & Acevedo-Quintero 2014). Así mismo, muchos otros trabajos no están disponibles para su consulta o corresponden a trabajos de grado (Murcia 2005;Ojeda & Pesca 2006;Sandoval 2000;Rodríguez 1991Rodríguez , 2005Mondolfi 1989;Orejuela 1989;Rodríguez et al 1986; Gade 2016). Dentro de los múltiples trabajos existentes, pocos aportan información sistemática o detallada sobre aspectos de la ecología o historia natural de la especie, o incluso sobre su presencia (Sánchez et al 2004).…”

“…Teniendo en cuenta el valor ecológico y cultural que Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia ha reconocido en el Oso Andino, el símbolo de conservación que representa a nivel local y regional, incluso para el mismo parque y el P. N. El Tamá de Venezuela, además de las características intrínsecas, amenazas y la percepción cultural de la especie que a lo largo de los años se ha arraigado en la cultura Andina (Figueroa 2013;Gade 2016), el Oso Andino resulta ser una especie fundamental, y una potencial herramienta de conservación para el país.…”