Four-year-old Bernardo, a spectacled bear, has moved in to the Cheshire zoo after travelling from Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma.
To ensure Bernardo was as comfortable as possible during the 4,300 mile journey, a specially designed, purpose-built crate was made in Deeside before being flown over to Tulsa.
He is slowly being introduced to his new companion, Chester’s resident female Franka.
Tim Rowlands, the zoo’s curator of mammals said: “An exchange of animals between the USA and Europe doesn’t happen very often at all. That makes the arrival of Bernardo even more special.
He said Bernardo's arrival brings important new blood to the European population of spectacled bears – a species classed by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being vulnerable to extinction in the wild.
“The co-ordinator of this breeding programme chose him as an ideal genetic pairing for our female Franka and so that has been the driver for bringing him across the Atlantic. Spectacled bears are a species that is vulnerable to extinction and so we hope this pair will produce cubs in the future.
“Bringing an animal over from the USA is logistically very difficult and it’s vitally important that the animal has a suitable temperament. I went over to Tulsa last year to see Bernardo and spend some time with him and he’s a very nice, calm young male.
“We also have one of the largest spectacled bear enclosures in the world and so we were top of the list when it came to choosing Bernardo's new home."
Spectacled bears fast facts:
· Spectacled bears get their name from the white or light rings of fur around their eyes, which can look like glasses (spectacles)
· Spectacled bears are found in several areas of northern and western South America, including western Venezuela Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and western Bolivia
· They are sometimes referred to as Andean bears, after the Andes mountains where some individuals are found
· They are found in various habitats within the Andes Mountains, including desert-scrub, ‘Paramo’ or high altitude grasslands and lush, misty cloud forests, ranging in elevation from 250 to 4,750 m
· Males can grow up to 40% larger than females. Their head-body length ranges from 1.2 – 2 metres
· Females weigh up to 84kg, males up to about 150kg
· Spectacled bears are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning
· There are only about 20,000 left in the wild
· The main threats to the species are habitat fragmentation and destruction caused by livestock farming and logging is a major threat to this species. Spectacled bears are also persecuted by local farmers for killing cattle and destroying maize crops. Habitat fragmentation continues to bring bears and humans into closer proximity, leading to increased human-bear conflict
· Though the hunting of spectacled bears is illegal, the species is still poached for its meat, skin, bones, fat and claws, which are all in demand locally. The gall bladders are occasionally marketed, being of value in traditional oriental medicine and can fetch a high price on the international market
· Very little is known about these bears in the wild, as they are shy and tend to avoid humans, making them hard to find for researchers to study
· Because of their tropical native climate, Andean bears do not hibernate and are active year-round
· Anyone who's read the children's stories about Paddington Bear will know he came from deepest darkest Peru. It means he was a spectacled bear because no other types of bear come from South America