WCS Queens Zoo welcomes new female Andean Bear

**Andean bear conservation** Since autumn 2015 Queens Zoo is home to a new female Andean or spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), the only bear species endemic to South America. The new bear, Nicole, is almost three years old. She shares a habitat with Bouba, a male Andean bear that arrived at the zoo from Bioparc Zoo de Doué-la-Fontaine (France) in 2013. **Ex-situ conservation** The Queens Zoo brought these two bears together as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative breeding programme designed to enhance the genetic viability and demographic stability of animal populations in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). “The addition of Nicole to the bear habitat brings an excitement to the exhibit that our guests will surely enjoy,” said Scott Silver, Animal Curator and Director of the Queens Zoo. “With only a handful of breeding pairs of Andean bears in all of the United States, pairing Nicole and Bouba up in Queens is an important addition to