Peru's 'Paddington' bears spotted at Machu Picchu
A couple of spectacled bears, mother and cub, were seen wandering around the ruins of Machu Picchu on Wednesday (January 14), taking advantage of the ruins that are largely free from large tourist numbers.
Video footage of the pair was taken by worker from Peru's Culture Ministry at the empty looking ruins.
Spectacled bears, also known as the Andean bear, are the only surviving species of bear native to South America. They have captured the imagination of the world through the stories of Paddington Bear.
Paddington Bear came to life in fiction after British author Michael Bond purchased a teddy bear for his wife near London's Paddington Station in 1958. In the story, the Paddington spectacled Bear hails from 'deepest, darkest Peru' and has a penchant for marmalade.
