New bears at the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – The Potawatomi Zoo has some new additions, a pair of Andean bears.

In fact, the new bears are siblings who recently arrived at the zoo from the Smithsonian National Zoo, where they were born two years ago.

The bears are named Ian and Sean and were moved to the Potawatomi Zoo at the recommendation of the Andean Bear Species Survival Plan, a cooperative population management program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

“It is so important to have this rare and vulnerable species of bear at the Potawatomi Zoo,” said Josh Sisk, Potawatomi Zoo executive director. “It allows us to engage the public with their conservation story and will hopefully open the door to an opportunity to contribute to species conservation through a future breeding recommendation.”

Andean bears are also known as spectacled bears because of the unique markings that many bears have on their faces. Ian and Sean can be distinguished by their facial markings. Ian has a triangle of white on his forehead and Sean has a very light stripe above his nose.

Bears are native to the tropical Andes, a region in the Andes Mountains of South America. Andean bears are the last species of the short-faced bear genus (Tremarctos). They are considered vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss and poaching.