The Spectacled Bear is the only bear that lives in South America. They live mostly at very high altitudes from dense cloud forest up through "Paramo" which is a grassy, bushy environment just above the tree line. They do not live in the amazon jungle or other lowlands. They are mostly plant-eaters but are opportunistic like most bear species.
While I did get very lucky and spot one in the cloud forest, the normal process for trying to get this picture was a combination of driving the dirt roads of the park and surrounding area as well as hiking wherever we found freshly eaten bramiliads. I had hired a bear biologist who now works in conservation and conflict management for these bears.
Cayambe-Coca National Park, Ecuador Octoer 2017
Here is a different bear so you can see the facial hair differences