“Please take care of this bear”: Paddington inspires animal shelter in Bolivia

In the Andean valleys of the deepest, darkest Bolivia (not Peru this time), a ‘Paddington’ bear has inspired a haven for nearly 1,000 wild animals rescued from poachers.

The Andean type of bear (Tremarctos ornatus), the only one native to the South American region, is the inspiration behind the beloved fictional Paddington bear, who is adopted in London by a family, eats jam and wears a red hat.

It was a bear named Aruma, who needed help, that prompted Vicky Ossio and her husband 15 years ago to turn their property some 80 kilometers from La Paz into a wildlife sanctuary, which has rescued 900 animals.

Although they used an orange bear in the film, the spectacled bear or jucumari, as it is known in Bolivia, is the only one that lives in Peru, explained Ossio, founder of the Senda Verde reserve.

Aruma was rescued from captivity almost blind due to the blows he had received and today he lives with other ‘Paddington’ bears, the same ones that in 1958 inspired the English author Michael Bond to write his stories for children. “It is the jucumari bear that marks a before and after in Senda VerdeOssio pointed out.

Aruma spends most of his time relaxing in a hammock, though Ossio says that during the pandemic he has seen an increase in animals that have been trafficked, abused or abandoned.

Andrea Noelia Chalcon, a reserve volunteer, has taken care of two little bears. “This baby was very sick when he arrived, he was on the verge of death from malnutrition and abuse. He is now progressing and growing, whereas before he was struggling to survive. That is what motivates me to continue taking care of them“, he pointed.