Rare spectacled bear being 'driven to extinction' by penis bone poachers brewing 'magical sex potion'

File photo - A wild spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is seen during the Birding Rally Challenge at "Aguas Calientes" near the Machu Picchu sanctuary in Cuzco on December 05, 2012. (ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP/Getty Images)

Penis poaching of the spectacled bear could result in the species going extinct if demand grows for the special 'sex potion' that people make with its private parts.

Children’s book character Paddington Bear is based on the spectacled bear but not many people realize his kind could be under threat due to the illegal trade of spectacled bear body parts.

According to National Geographic, some people in South America claim the 'sex drink' can cure sexual performance problems if it contains just a scraping of a spectacled bear's penis bone.

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Some people also believe that the beverage can give you the strength of a whole bear if you put the entire penis bone in the concoction.

The 'sex drink' is called Seven Roots and is said to be made of white rum, seven types of tree bark, honey, pollen, a snake's head, the huanarpo macho plant and a spectacled bear's penis bone.

Traditional healers sell this drink to customers in Peru.

Investigative photojournalist Eduardo Franco Berton travelled around Peru to investigate the spectacled bear body parts trade.

Also referred to as the Andean bear, the species is often illegally killed in South America for its body parts because lots of them are thought to have medicinal purposes.

The bears fat, teeth and bones are in high demand amongst traditional healers and Berton found part of a penis bone being sold for just over $750.

A woman running a traditional medicine shop in Peru reportedly told Berton that she didn't feel bad about the bears potentially going extinct because they were making her so much money.

There are now only around 5,000 spectacled bears in Peru and it is the only native bear species still alive in South America.

Although the spectacled bear body part trade happens all over South America, the problem is thought to be the most severe in Peru.

Harsher fines have been put in place in the country to try and stop the trade and poachers could even go to prison.

There are also a number of charities that have been set up in the hope of protecting and saving the bears.

In other news, giving rabbits lettuce is like feeding them drugs, pet experts have warned.

An extremely rare albino panda has been caught on camera in China.

And, animals are expected to get 25% smaller over the next century as they downsize to survive.

This story originally appeared in The Sun.