Episode 1: Andean Bears

From small stories to the bigger picture, the brand new One World Science podcast explores the natural world and the many ways that humans connect with it. This premier episode investigates the iconography and ecology of spectacled bears (Tremarctos ornatus).

Elusive and poorly understood — yet also in conflict with human development — South America’s only native bear species inhabits not just a fragmented range, but also a unique position at the intersection of culture and conservation.

Listen or download below. You can also find us on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play.

Special thanks to all of our guests on this episode:

Dr. Thomas Regele, Professor of Modern Languages and Literature at Montana State University-Billings

Travis Vineyard, Curator of Animals at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Dr. Isaac Goldstein, Coordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society‘s Andean Bear Program and co-coordinator of the Andean Bear Conservation Alliance

Flynn Vickowski, Fulbright grantee researching bears in Peru. Read her blog at: bearfootperu.wordpress.com

Deep gratitude also to:

Podington Bear, who provided the wonderful music throughout this episode under Creative Commons licensing (CC BY-NC 3.0)

Gretchen Bailey for beautifully playing the quena, a traditional flute of the Andes

Katie Corr, Education Specialist at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, for her unflagging support of this project

ADDITIONAL READINGS AND MEDIA: