Wildlife in West Virginia - Types of West Virginian Animals

Ximena Velez-Liendo Is Saving Andean Bears With Honey

In 1998, at the age of 22, conservation biologist Ximena Velez-Liendo came face-to-face with South America's largest carnivore on her first day of field research in Bolivia. Her life changed forever when she turned around to see "this beautiful, amazing bear coming out of the forest," Velez-Liendo says. "It was like love at first sight." She thought in that moment: "If I can do anything for you, I'll do it."

Also known as spectacled bears, Andean bears are easily recognized by the ring of pale fur that often encircles one or both eyes. Bolivia is home to about 3,000 adult bears, or roughly one-third of the world's total Andean bears, whose range arcs through five countries along the western edge of South America. Listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, the species (Tremarctos ornatus) suffers mainly from habitat loss and conflicts with humans, who sometimes kill the bears in retaliation when bears raid crops or hunt livestock.

But while the bears can look intimidating (adults weigh up to 200 kilograms), Velez-Liendo says they prefer to grind through plants rather than meat with their powerful jaw muscles. Though Andean bears belong to the order Carnivora and are "absolutely capable" of hunting meat, they have, like many other bears, an omnivorous diet.

When Velez-Liendo first committed to helping the bears, no one knew how many lived in her home country of Bolivia or where they roamed. She answered those questions with a countrywide assessment that estimated the population and identified where the bears can access food, shelter and water. Her analyses also pinpointed Bolivia's southern dry forests as the place where the bears face the biggest threats from humans. So she decided to put her data into action: Velez-Liendo started asking locals how she could help them protect this keystone species.

Velez-Liendo explains how protecting the Andean bear, depicted in this artwork, benefits the entire forest ecosystem to farmers in the small community of San Lorencito, Bolivia.Andean Carnivore Conservation Program

Velez-Liendo is a "renowned Andean bear expert" and an award-winning conservationist, says John Hechtel, president of the International Association for Bear Research and Management. She is a cochair of the Andean Bear Expert Team for the IUCN, a research associate at the University of Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, a conservation fellow at Chester Zoo in Cheshire, England, and director of the Andean Carnivore Conservation Program in Bolivia. In addition to her strong skills as a biologist and spatial analyst, Velez-Liendo also "genuinely cares about the well-being of the environment … and the local people" Hechtel says, which makes her "a really effective advocate for new, creative approaches to bear conservation."

Thanks to Velez-Liendo's work, Andean bears went from nearly extinct in the southernmost part of their range to healthy and recovering. Her population and habitat assessments now inform global, regional and local efforts to conserve Bolivia's bear.

From gorillas to bears

Velez-Liendo always knew she wanted to work with animals. Her earliest memories are of playing in the lowland forests near her village in southeastern Bolivia as a child — "in bare feet, just poking insects or crossing the river." When her family moved to Oruro, a city in the highlands at just over 3,700 meters elevation, she took to chasing reptiles, continuing to foster her "appreciation of nature," she says. She planned to attend veterinary school until a friend introduced her to biology as a career path. While earning her undergraduate degree from Universidad Mayor de San Simón in Cochabamba, Velez-Liendo had her heart set on studying gorillas in Rwanda — until that fateful day she met her first bear in Carrasco National Park.

An Andean bear captured by one of the camera traps set by Velez-Liendo in the dry forests of southern Bolivia.Andean Carnivore Conservation Program

She decided to learn geographic analysis and mapping skills and, as part of her master's research at the University of Leicester in England, she used these tools to analyze what was causing deforestation around Carrasco National Park. She linked habitat destruction in the region to a boom in coca cultivation following the closing of mines in the highlands along with the completion of a new road connecting the cities of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.

Velez-Liendo then spent almost three years "traveling the entire eastern slope of the Bolivian Andes" to produce the first — and still only — national assessment of Andean bears as part of her Ph.D. In biology at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. This meant knocking on doors in rural communities asking people if they had seen any bears, then verifying anecdotal evidence in the field. At each spot where a sighting was reported, she searched for bear signs, particularly looking for flowering plants that had been munched by the charismatic mammals. She then identified the best places to invest in protecting or restoring bear habitat by relying on habitat models, landscape connectivity analysis and human expansion models. A maximum population of 3,165 adult bears occupy 13 key chunks of habitat covering 21,113 square kilometers in Bolivia, according to two studies published by Velez-Liendo in Ursus in 2013 and 2014.

She zeroed in on the dry forested valleys of Tarija, a region in southern Bolivia that borders Argentina, as the best habitat for bears outside protected parks. Only 6 percent of the Andes' original dry forest is left, scattered in a few patches in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. It's home to monkeys, foxes, birds and a half-dozen wild cat species, along with the Andean bear. But the forests have been heavily used by people, says Velez-Liendo. The IUCN was considering listing the bears in Tarija as extinct.

In 2016, Velez-Liendo received a small grant from the Chester Zoo to set up camera traps to see if any bears were still in Tarija. At first "the forest was just empty," she says. Then in February 2017, a photo of a mother and cub sparked hope. The same day that photo was taken, Velez-Liendo found out she was short-listed for the Whitley Awards, prestigious prizes from the Whitley Fund for Nature that are known among conservationists as the "Green Oscars." She was one of seven 2017 award winners, which gave her 35,000 British pounds (about $27,000 at the rate in May 2017) in project funding as well as conservation training. This was her "golden ticket" to launch the Andean Carnivore Conservation Program, she says, and focus on helping people coexist with bears and other carnivores.

Helping with honey

Though Tarija's forests were promising bear habitat, they were also a hot spot for conflicts between people and bears. Local villagers showed Velez-Liendo bear skins hanging in their living rooms, describing how bears were a threat to their livestock and crops. When another community in Tarija showed her a stack of brand-new bee boxes that people didn't know how to use, she hatched an idea: Could selling honey help save bears?

Training farmers as beekeepers was catching on in other parts of Bolivia as an eco-friendly way to provide reliable income for rural landowners who might otherwise turn to clearing more forest. Velez-Liendo asked Patricia Sanchez, an economist who had experience teaching beekeeping in Bolivia's highlands, to join the Andean Carnivore Conservation Program in 2017. The program covers 70 percent of the cost of new equipment and trains locals how to care for hives, extract honey and market it for sale. It also supports other types of nature-friendly agricultural practices, like fencing livestock and pruning fruit trees so they don't attract bears. In exchange, community members agree to protect the forest and not harm Andean bears. Velez-Liendo also trains locals how to collect data and help monitor the ecosystem. More than 100 families were enrolled in the program in 2023.

Patricia Sanchez (left), the livelihoods expert for the Andean Carnivore Conservation Program, displays freshly harvested honeycomb beside Isidro Aguirre, a beekeeper from San Lorencito, Bolivia.Andean Carnivore Conservation Program

"If people don't see the value of protecting an animal, protecting an ecosystem … then they're not going to do it," Velez-Liendo says.

The sale of Valle de Osos–branded honey locally provides beekeeping families with income. Sanchez, who visits each of the participating communities at least twice per month, notes that the beekeeping efforts are an economic development opportunity that can support young people who want to stay in their communities instead of leaving to find a job in the city.

Today, more than 60 Andean bears wander through Tarija's forests, a remarkable increase over the five bears documented in 2017. By reducing the retaliatory killing of bears, "we managed to basically save this bear population from extinction," Velez-Liendo says. Having more bears benefits the entire ecosystem in Tarija, since the bears spread seeds that help forests thrive.

Her goal is to replicate Tarija's model in the Chuquisaca and Cochabamba regions to the north. Engaging more rural communities can provide "stepping stones" of habitat to connect isolated bear populations, she says.

A "bear-ologist" who works with people

Velez-Liendo says all of the bear biologists she knows in Bolivia are women, notable in a country where it's rare to see a woman driving a car. She jokes that pursuing Andean bears over Bolivia's rugged terrain "is not for the faint of heart." Her mentor at the beginning of her career and beyond was Susanna Paisley, the first biologist to put a radio collar on an Andean bear in the wild. Paisley, based in Canterbury, England, says that one of Velez-Liendo's most impressive achievements is the trust she's cultivated among people in southern Bolivia's agricultural communities. Healthy ecosystems are now associated with more economic security in that region, particularly in the face of persistent droughts and climate change.

"There's a lot of obstacles to this kind of work," Paisley says. Many remote parts of Bolivia have no infrastructure and "a lot of machismo," which requires determination to get results. "You've got to be a maverick." She calls Velez-Liendo "a force of nature" with an experimental and collaborative approach.

Velez-Liendo spotted her first Andean bear in Carrasco National Park near Cochabamba, Bolivia during a field research trip in 1998 at age 22.Carola Azurduy

Velez-Liendo says one of her biggest personal challenges was moving from being a "bear-ologist" who wasn't all that interested in working with people to realizing that people are the solution for saving the animals she loves. "Conservation comes from … the communities that live with this biodiversity," she says. "I think that's how conservation is changing: from the hands of biologists to the hands of people."

The Andean Carnivore Conservation Program recently received a three-year grant from the Chester Zoo. Now that she can take a breather from fundraising to keep the project going, Velez-Liendo plans to focus on publishing results from Tarija. She also wants to write an educational book to help a wider audience understand the bears. "There are so many things bears can teach us, and the first one is to take life easy," she says. "Just avoid confrontation … and sleep well."

N4T INVESTIGATORS: No Charges Filed In Humane Society Case Of Small Pets Likely Fed To Reptiles

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) — It's been nearly nine months since one of the Humane Society of Southern Arizona's darkest days, when it transported more than 300 small pets to a known reptile breeder, Colten Jones, in Apache Junction. 

The incident gained international attention and caused the organization to fire its CEO Steve Farley and accept the resignation of COO Christian Gonzales.

Animal abuse and fraud were investigated, but in the end, no criminal charges were filed.

The News 4 Tucson Investigators uncovered evidence that suggests the pets were likely used as reptile food. We obtained a text message from another reptile breeder in the Phoenix area sent from Jones that asked him if he had room to freeze off rabbits and Guinea Pigs because he had too many to handle. 

The message was sent the day after Jones received the shipment of pets from HSSA.

The incident caused Robert Garcia, Chairman of the Board for HSSA, to file a report with the Tucson Police Department.

Also in November, several animal advocates reported the situation to the Apache Junction Police Department, where the drop-off happened.

The News 4 Tucson Investigators have learned both criminal investigations have been closed without any charges filed.

In December we received a police report from the Tucson Police Department which was almost completely blacked out with redactions.

The News 4 Tucson Investigators spent months trying to get the unredacted report, and this week the department sent it to us.

The unredacted report shows that TPD was investigating Colten Jones, his brother Trevor, and Christian Gonzales for animal abuse and fraud.

According to the report, officers received evidence from HSSA leadership, but there was no indication they attempted to interview the suspects or tried to obtain their own evidence.

It was noted that they presented the case to the County Attorney's Office, but they declined to prosecute the case because of a lack of evidence.

"It looked like a hot potato they wanted to get out of their hands as soon as possible," said animal advocate Dr. Kelly Paolisso.

"It's a massive failure, and there's ample evidence of animal abuse and fraud," said animal advocate Candace Charvoz Frank.

In the Apache Junction case, a police officer was able to make contact with Colten Jones' girlfriend who allowed him to do a welfare check inside of the now abandoned office space where the drop-off occurred.

According to the report, the officer found several geckos and lizards inside with proper food and water and did not find any small pets or signs of animal abuse. It's worth noting this inspection was months after the pet transfer.

When Jones found out the officer was peeking around inside, he told him on the phone to stop unlawfully entering his property and to obtain a search warrant.

Jones did not have a license to operate such a business, so the city issued a code violation, but no criminal charges were filed.

After learning both police departments found insufficient evidence, HSSA posted the following update:

"For the past several months, the Humane Society of Southern Arizona has been in contact with the Tucson Police Department on whether criminal charges would be brought against the parties involved with the small animal transfer that occurred on Aug. 7, 2023. At the same time, HSSA has followed the investigation into allegations against Colten Jones taking place in Apache Junction.

Law enforcement representatives from both jurisdictions advised that there is insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges, and both police agencies have closed their investigation into the matter. Because only law enforcement has the authority to bring criminal charges, HSSA must, regrettably, accept the findings of the authorities. HSSA is grateful for the time and attention dedicated to this matter by law enforcement officials.

The gravity of the sadness the HSSA community continues to feel over the presumed loss of the small animals continues to be overwhelming. HSSA, however, has put in place policies and procedures that ensure this unprecedented event—or anything like it—cannot happen again. Among these actions:

Updating all records of our partner animal welfare nonprofit organizations;

Entering a Memorandum of Understanding with respect to every transfer, making clear HSSA's life-saving expectations and outcomes for any animals transferred into or out of HSSA; and

Requiring a site visit to ensure facilities and resources necessary for the appropriate care of any transferred animals.

With an eye toward the future, we are pleased to announce a new CEO with extensive animal welfare and nonprofit experience. Under Dr. Barney's leadership, we will further strengthen our focus to always ensure animals in HSSA's care are never put at risk again and receive the best care possible while entrusted to us.

The Humane Society of Southern Arizona is a pillar of the Tucson community, which it has served for 80 years, providing lifesaving services for hundreds of thousands of animals with compassion and commitment. HSSA cannot change the mistakes of the past but is committed to ensure they are not repeated. HSSA hopes to continue serving the Tucson community for at least another 80 years and looks forward to helping future adopters meet their new best friend."

The San Diego Humane Society in March posted what it describes as its final update on the situation:

"After months of investigation and consultations with our legal team, San Diego Humane Society would like to provide a final update on the transport of 323 small pets to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (HSSA) on Aug. 7, 2023.

The circumstances surrounding this transport remain unprecedented in animal welfare, and we are saddened to still have unanswered questions related to the final outcome of the missing animals. This is heartbreaking for everyone at San Diego Humane Society, and for so many people who share our passion for animals.

As previously shared, San Diego Humane Society hired a private investigator with the goal of finding further definitive evidence as to our animals' outcomes—evidence that would inform our decision making as we pursue justice and accountability. While the circumstantial evidence is strong and disturbing, this investigation did not yield definitive proof of the animals' outcomes.

San Diego Humane Society has followed the efforts of both the Tucson Police Department and Apache Junction Police Department as they have considered the possibility of filing criminal charges. Unfortunately, both entities have declined to move forward with a criminal case due to a lack of evidence. San Diego Humane Society does not have jurisdiction to conduct a criminal investigation and can only pursue civil claims independently. The filing of criminal charges is at the sole discretion of these police districts.

We have worked extensively with our legal team to review the legal options that are available and conferred with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona about the possibility of a joint legal action. At this point in time, we have determined that due to a lack of definitive evidence as to the outcomes of the animals that there is not a credible legal case to pursue. Should new evidence become available, we will examine it and reevaluate our options.

We remain heartbroken by the likely outcome for these animals who were loved deeply by our staff and volunteers. We know that our team members and volunteers who cared for these individual animals continue to feel their loss.

What happened with this transport was unimaginable — nothing like it has ever happened in the history of animal welfare. And as we move forward, we will take action to ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.

First, San Diego Humane Society is establishing new protocols that will be used in any future transports of animals from our organization. These protocols include clear expectations about the outcomes for animals transported to partner organizations. This level of detail was not standard practice prior to this transport, but it will be for San Diego Humane Society moving forward.

Next, we will work to create and advocate for legislative proposals to ban the sale of small pets in California pet stores. This is essential to reducing the overpopulation of these animals in shelters and address this problem at its root.

We appreciate the concern that everyone in our community has shown for these animals and want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who care deeply for animals, both big and small. Thank you for your compassion for these small pets and for your gracious support throughout this challenging time."

The News 4 Tucson Investigators asked the Pima County Attorney's Office about its decision, and they sent the following statement:

"There is not sufficient evidence available to prove a violation of Arizona criminal laws occurred within Pima County, and, therefore, there is no criminal case at the Pima County Attorney's Office at this time."

Many animal advocates like Paolisso tell us they have doubts about how the police investigated the case.

"[Apache Junction] I can understand why their hands are a little bit tied, but Tucson I don't think did a thorough investigation at all," she said.

You can read the Tucson Police report here:

You can read the Apache Junction police report here:

If you have a story you'd like the News 4 Tucson Investigators to look into email us at investigators@kvoa.Com or call our tip line at 520-955-4444. 

The Best Reef-Safe & Reef-Friendly Sunscreens To Protect Your Skin & The Environment

If you're planning a trip to a place with water and sun, of course you want to pack sunblock to protect your skin. But, some sunscreens contain chemicals that can be harmful to the delicate ecosystem of the ocean. So, if you want to protect your skin, and the environment, it's important to look for products that contain certain ingredients. That's why we've rounded up a list of the best reef-safe and reef-friendly sunscreens that you can feel confident wearing on your next vacation. Let's break down what you should look for and get shopping

What does "Reef-safe" or "Reef-friendly" Sunscreen Mean?

Sunscreens that are called "reef-safe" or "reef-friendly" typically do not contain oxybenzone and octinoxate, two common UV-blocking chemicals which have been shown to cause damage to coral reefs, and the state of Hawaii has even banned the sale of sunscreens containing these ingredients. 

However, these terms are not regulated or managed by any organizations, so you can't always trust products that say they're "safe." Reports have shown that additional chemicals, like octocrylene, homosalate, avobenzone and oxybenzone, may also contain damaging effects, so read your labels. None of the picks below contain any of these ingredients.

What Else to Consider When Choosing a Sunscreen

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States, according to the American Association of Dermatology, so it's important to reduce your risks and look for sunscreen with an SPF 15 (at least). Additionally, consider the water-resistance of your sunblock. A sunscreen  that stays on your skin longer is less likely to wash off when you're swimming.

So, keep on scrolling for the best reef-safe and reef-friendly sunscreens that will have a positive impact this Earth Day and beyond. Protect your skin (and the ocean, too), and enjoy your time in the water.

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