I must have had a deprived childhood – I never read the Paddington
Bear books and I didn’t even know Paddington came from “deepest, darkest Peru”
until one of our volunteers mentioned it many months ago. Since then, I have
been planning a blog on the dear bear. I even contacted the official PaddingtonBear website to ask why author Michael Bond chose Peru for his bear’s country of
origin. The response:
When Michael Bond
wrote the very first Paddington book back in the 1950s, he said that Paddington
came from Africa . Before it was published his
agent pointed out to him that there aren't any bears in Africa
so he had to change it. He did some research and discovered that there were a
few bears living in the foothills of the Andes in Peru , known as Spectacled or Andean
bears. He decided that Peru
sounded like an exotic and interesting country and so he decided that it would
make a perfect place for Paddington to come from.
However, when I finally met Paddington in real life, he wasn’t
wearing a red hat or a blue duffel coat. But then, the Spectacled Bears I met weren’t
wearing spectacles either! But they are the cutest creatures, perhaps even more
cute than Paddington.
On our second day in Chiclayo ,
Sarah and I took a tour to the Chaparri Nature Reserve. It was a rapid ride
south from Chiclayo with a Speedy Gonzales driver who only spoke Spanish but tried his best to
communicate with us and, as 2 part-Spanish speakers are better than one, we understood
at least the gist, if not every detail, of what he said.
The
land became more fertile as we headed south; there was even more sugar cane,
lots of maize, incredibly green rice fields, and tobacco. There was more water
too, in a well-constructed irrigation system of ditches and canals, and we had
a short stop at a reservoir for some photos.
At
the little settlement of Chongoyape, we turned inland and picked up a member of
the reserve staff, who was our guide around the tracks in the reserve. After a 30-minute
bumpy ride over dirt roads, we began our 3-hour walk around the trails. This was
a dry forest area at the end of the dry season so there was very little water
in the river beds we crossed and the landscape was quite brown. It reminded me
of what I imagine parts of Africa to be like
and half expected to see an elephant or giraffe around every corner.
Despite
the dry, there was an abundance of stunning bird life including another Burrowing
Owl, a Turtupilin Macho, hummingbirds on yellow-flowered knopfia (hot pokers),
mocking birds (that imitate the calls made by other birds, hence the name
“mocking”), the White-winged Guan or Pava Aliblanca (a bird thought to be
extinct for 100 years then rediscovered in 1977), and Antshrikes, amongst
others.
The
highlight of the day, of course, was our time with the Osos de Anteojos, the Spectacled Bears. Twenty-five-year-old Papa Bear
came from a circus where he had been so badly mistreated that he cannot be
rehabilitated into the wilds of the reserve. He lives with Mama Bear and Baby
Bear, who will soon be released into the reserve to fend for himself. Wild
bears live in the hills behind the area where the tourist trails and
accommodation are located, so visitors rarely see them, except in September,
when one particular tree flowers and fruits, drawing the bears down from the
hills to enjoy these treats.
The
bears may not wear spectacles but are so-named because many have lighter-coloured
circular markings around their eyes. Every face marking is different so
individuals are easily identifiable. The bears live to about 30 years or age
and are mostly vegetarian - they really liked the sweet potatoes our guide was
feeding them.
Although
we didn’t see any, there are many other animals living within the reserve:
puma, ocelot, deer, llamas and another type of camelid, the huanaco. There are
also snakes, iguana and other lizards, many beautifully coloured butterflies
that were just too fluttery to photograph, and there are spiders, in particular
the whip spider, which I bravely, or foolishly – I haven’t yet decided which –
allowed to sit on my hand.
It was a delightful day, away from the city and people, with just
Mother Nature’s beautiful creatures and our lovely guide for company. One day,
I would love to go back and stay in the eco-lodge accommodation and spend a
week enjoying the wildlife, the peace and tranquility of Chaparri.
No comments:
Post a Comment