The Potawatomi Zoo’s announced the public debut of its new Andean bear brothers, Ian and Sean.
The nearly two-year-old brother bears are living in the zoo’s recently-opened Andean bear habitat. The habitat is connected to The Lodge, the zoo’s concessions and dining facility.
The bears recently arrived at the zoo from Smithsonian’s National Zoo, where they were born in 2022. They moved to the zoo on the recommendation of the Andean Bear Species Survival Plan. The plan is a cooperative population management program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
“It’s been incredible having bears back at the Potawatomi Zoo after so many years,” said Josh Sisk, Potawatomi Zoo executive director, in a press release. “We know how much people love Muniri already, and these young bears are going to be so much fun for the public to watch grow up.”
Andean bears are solitary in the wild by nature. Ian and Sean will stay together in the habitat and behind-the-scenes, separate from Muniri, the zoo’s first Andean bear. Muniri will continue to live at the zoo. Visitors will see either him or Ian and Sean when they visit the zoo.
“It’s so important to have this unusual, vulnerable species of bear at the Potawatomi Zoo,” Sisk said. “It allows us to engage the public with their conservation story, and it will hopefully open the door to an opportunity to contribute to species preservation through a future breeding recommendation.”
Andean bears are also known as spectacled bears due to the markings many bears have on their faces. Ian and Sean can be distinguished by their facial markings. Ian has a white triangle on his forehead and Sean has a light stripe above his nose.
Andean bears are native to the tropical Andes, a region of South America’s Andean mountains. They are the last species in the short-faced bear genus (Tremarctos). Andean Bears are considered vulnerable to extinction due to loss of habitat and poaching.
The Potawatomi Zoo is based in South Bend. The zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1987. The Potawatomi Zoo is home to more than 400 animals.
