It turns out that some bears are not fans of paparazzi or hidden cameras.  Conservationists have captured some stunning images of an Andean Black Bear family taking down camera traps in Bolivia's Apolobamba national park.

The mother bear leads the vandalism spree, whacking the camera.  Her cubs join in battering and biting the recording device.  What the bears didn’t know or understand is that there were other cameras set up at the same spot, documenting their behavior.

“Andean bears are very curious animals,” explains Lilian Painter, Bolivia field director of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).  “But they are also very strong, and the cameras are like big flashing toys.  Still, we were able to record important images that will allow us to better understand their distribution, abundance and behavior, and conserve these delightful bears into the future.”

The IUCN Red List currently categorizes Andean bears, also known as spectacled bears, as “Vulnerable”.  They face a number of threats including deforestation, fragmentation, mining, roads, fossil fuel exploitation, and in some cases poaching.