An orphaned spectacled bear cub, also known as an Andean, which inspired Paddington Bear, was in good health after it was rescued in Oxapampa, Peru on Wednesday (2 December).

A local farmer, Federico Tarazona, saw the small bear alone and noticeably wet in the middle of a highway in the country's Chontabamba district in central Peru.

"I saw the little bear, who was on the highway and quite wet. I stopped with my car, picked him up and took him with me," he said.

Tarazona decided to take the spectacled bear cub – the only surviving species of bear native to South America – home to give him some much-needed food and attention. The cub, later named Moises, was then put in the care of the Peruvian National Forest and Fauna Service (SERFOR).

"We found that we have the surprise of a spectacled bear, who is still a baby and we have been able to confirm that the bear is in a good state, his fur is basically normal. So we will be able to carry out the process to ultimately deliver the bear to a zoo, but first a temporary rescue site," said SERVOR ecological expert, Hernan Campos Rivera.

SERFOR officials believe the bear is somewhere between three and four months old. Spectacled bears often make their way down from the mountains in search of food from crop lands.

In an interesting coincidence, Karen Jankel, the daughter of Michael Bond, the creator of Paddington Bear, visited Peru in November to commemorate her father's lovable children's literature character. Paddington Bear came to life after Bond purchased a teddy bear for his wife near London's Paddington Station in 1958. In the story, the spectacled bear hails from 'deepest, darkest Peru' and has a penchant for marmalade.

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