Rare Andean bears flock to cloud forest to feast on wild avocados

The real-life Paddington bears were in decline across South America, but records suggest their numbers are growing in Ecuador

Deep in the Maquipucuna cloud forest, two hours drive from Ecuador's capital, Quito, rare Andean bears come together for a few weeks each year to feast on the wild avocados ripening atop mist-shrouded trees.

According to ecologists, this small community is growing, bucking the trend of a vulnerable species in decline across South America. The gathering, similar to those of grizzly bears at salmon rivers in Alaska and Canada, is turning what experts know about this normally reclusive, solitary creature on its head.