A shaggy black Andean bear, perched on a moss-draped branch high in a Colombian cloud forest, is drawing global attention — both for the power of the image and the precarious state of the species it depicts.
Photographer Sebastian Di Domenico captured the shot while guiding hikers through the Chingaza Ecopalacio Reserve in Colombia. "All of a sudden, one of the group pointed at the bear above us," Di Domenico told New Scientist. The photograph has been shortlisted in this year's Sony World Photography Awards, with an exhibition running at Somerset House in London from April 17 to May 4.
The bear is believed to be a roughly five-year-old male, previously unseen in the area. Di Domenico suspects it may have been drawn there by a potential mate. "That day, there was another bear on a tree close by, so we actually think they might have been mating up in the trees," he said.
The Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) holds a singular distinction: it is the only bear species on the South American continent. Its range once stretched from Venezuela to Bolivia, but expanding agriculture, road construction, and mining have fragmented its habitat dramatically. Pushed into closer contact with humans, the bears sometimes raid crops and kill livestock, which in turn prompts illegal hunting. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the species as vulnerable to extinction.
For Di Domenico, the photograph carries an urgent conservation message. "Getting sightings like these is very uncommon," he said. "Having the opportunity to portrait not only the species but its unique habitat can send a powerful message." In a region where the bears are increasingly squeezed, one striking image may do more for their survival than a thousand reports.
