Andean Bears 2012 - 15 month calendar

The Andean Bear Foundation would like to thank all of the photographers who entered our Andean Bear Calendar Photo Contest. The response was better than we had dared to hope and there was not space to include in this calendar all of the beautiful images submitted. Congratulations to Grand Prize winner Susie Hewitt for the cover photo, second prize winner Patricio Meza Saltos (April 2012 photo), third prize winner Beth Klemick (back cover) and to the winner of the popular vote, Lee McCarthy, for his image of Sangay (September 2012). We also thank our judging panel: Andean bear expert Armando Castellanos; wildlife vet Leonardo Arias; professional photographers Rich & Margie Wagner | WildNaturePhotos.com; bear husbandry expert & “Smiling Bears” author Else Poulsen; Phoenix Zoo’s Andean bear keeper Amy Evans; author & arctophile Geneviéve Hamelin; plush bear retailer Trish Stoll of Mostly Bears; and secretary Sarah Clifford. Grateful thanks go to Rebecca Hamilton for coordinating the contest and doing such a wonderful job of designing this calendar. The background photos for each month show some of the wide range of habitats used by Andean bears in Ecuador and we thank Kerry Fugett and Sarah Clifford for these images. Finally we would like to thank you for supporting the work of the Andean Bear Foundation and raising awareness of the Andean bear by purchasing and displaying this calendar.