Pablo, the oldest Andean bear at the Quito Zoo and who helped research his species, passed away

After 25 years of being under the professional care of specialists at the Quito Zoo, the oldest spectacled bear in this rescue center died, the institution reported through its website.

Pablo, as the bear was called, leaves an important legacy for the research and conservation of his species, since he was part of scientific management projects that were later applied in the forests and moors where the Andean bear lives.

Pablo reached the age of 27 and was a geriatric care animal: “Throughout his life in our institution, the care of Pablo, like all the animals at the Quito Zoo, was based on guaranteeing him adequate nutrition, space and comfortable and safe environment for his life, as well as a neat and professional control of his health to ensure his physical, emotional and behavioral stability ”, indicated the institution.

The Zoological Foundation of Ecuador highlights the relevance of Pablo in the environmental context, due to the contribution he made for research. For instance, Together with Pablo, the size of the identification collar was determined for individuals of his species in the wild. (in each region the bears have different sizes and weights); implement bear detection strategies, obtaining DNA samples, as a mitigation measure in the face of the human-wildlife conflict that is generated in various areas of the country; or the use of their feces as a mechanism that contributes to the rehabilitation of bears rescued from other centers who are expected to be reinserted into their habitat.

“Together with Pablo we advanced in the protocols for care of bears, we learned with him, for him and for all bears. Veterinary support was getting better and better, and thus we were able to guarantee that he was always a support for the work of education and awareness in the conservation of the Andean bear in our country”Noted the zoo.

Care in your old age

Due to his condition as an elderly bear, in recent years Pablo received priority attention in his diet. The animal presented a picture of osteoarthrosis, a disease that caused musculoskeletal pain, which was counteracted with specific medications to alleviate its discomfort.

In addition, he received nutritional supplements to replace the wear and tear of his age. These products are expensive and were acquired thanks to the contributions of godmothers and godfathers of the Zoo bears.

The zoo’s veterinary team carried out routine control of his health through check-ups that monitored the functioning of his heart, kidneys, liver, lungs and the state of his joints, through X-rays. To this was added the daily supervision of the zoo caregivers team they deployed in their daily tasks to make sure that Pablo was well maintained, both physically and behaviorally.

“Some farewells are harder than others. It only remains to bet because in the heaven of bears all the fruits taste like honey”, Indicated Omar Morán, member of the team of zookeepers.

Meanwhile, Martín Bustamante, director of the zoo, indicated that the bear came to Guayllabamba from the Amazonas Zoo at the Military College (late 90s) and that he left many lessons on the way and was the prop to insert the discussions of animal welfare at the institutional level: “A bear hug to say goodbye to Pablo”, He indicated. (I)