Autor: Silvia C. Chalukian

Entre los numerosos inventarios faunísticos realizados en el noroeste argentino, solo un autor principal afirma haber documentado la presencia actual de Tremarctos ornatus. Nosotros examinamos los 34 reportes publicados de esta especie contra más de 800 puntos de relevamientos afines en Salta y Jujuy que registraron la presencia de jaguar, tapir, monos y ataques de carnívoros al ganado, pero no de oso. Por nuestros estudios allí y en Bolivia, creemos muy improbable la existencia de una población de osos en Argentina y recomendamos mayor cautela en el uso de información anecdótica y rastros indirectos antes de proclamar un hallazgo de tal importancia.

The Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus): myth and truth of its presence in Argentina. Among the many faunal inventories conducted in Northwestern Argentina, only one senior author claims to have found reliable evidence of the current presence of Tremarctos ornatus. We assessed the 34 published records of this species against more than 800 points of similar surveys which recorded the occurrence of jaguar, tapir, monkeys and carnivore attacks on cattle in Salta and Jujuy, but turned negative for the Andean bear. Based on our studies there and in Bolivia, we think it is most unlikely that a bear population exists in Argentina, and recommend more caution in the use of anecdotic reports and animal signs before proclaiming such a significant finding.