Spectacled Bear Cubs Explore Zurich Zoo Habitat

Why this is here: The two male cubs, Auki and Amaru, are identifiable by the light-colored rings around their eyes, resembling spectacles.

At Zurich Zoo in Switzerland, two young male spectacled bears, Auki and Amaru, are now visible to the public. The cubs were born at the end of January to nine-year-old Rica, and spent their first three months with her in a birthing box. Newborns weigh between 320 and 370 grams, but males eventually reach up to 175 kilograms.

Zoo director Severin Dressen reports the cubs are developing well. They now climb branches and follow their mother as they explore their enclosure, a recreation of a Sangay mountain cloud forest. Over the next two years, Rica will teach them to find food and navigate the trees.

Spectacled bears are the only large bears native to South America and are currently considered a threatened species. Their habitat is shrinking due to agriculture, roads, and poaching for body parts used in traditional medicine.

Experts estimate fewer than 25,000 spectacled bears remain. The father of the cubs carries valuable genetic material for the European Conservation Breeding Program.