Only one breed of bear calls the dense jungles of South America home – the Spectacled Bear. These shy creatures are rarely seen and have become listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. Although population data is sketchy, some estimates suggest that fewer than 3,000 spectacled bears may remain in the wild today. The reasons for their disappearance are many – poaching, destruction of their habitat, and being killed by farmers as agricultural pests.