A conservation program in Bolivia has identified at least 60 "Paddington" bears in areas where they had not been spotted before, giving animal conservationists hope that the species could stabilise.

The type of Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) known as spectacled bear or Jukumari, the only one native to South America, is also the inspiration behind beloved fictional bear Paddington, who travels to London, is adopted by a family and eats lashings of marmalade.

Since 2017, the Chester Zoo’s Andean Carnivore Conservation Program initiative has installed trap cameras in the Tarija department forest areas and in 2023 sighted various members of the thriving bear community playing or walking among the trees.

According to Ximena Velez, Andean Carnivore Conservation Program coordinator, the Andean bear is considered a vulnerable species to extinction.

The expert warned that if threats to the species such as the loss of habitat, retaliatory hunting and the effects of climate change are not addressed by 2030, the region could lose almost 30 per cent of the bear population.

The Andean bear resides throughout the subtropical Andes from Bolivia to Venezuela.