SEATTLE — Bowie, a three-month-old sloth bear cub, made her first public appearance at the Woodland Park Zoo this weekend.
The bear cub was born on Jan. 8 and shares a birthday and namesake of icon David Bowie.
Since she was born, Bowie and her mother, Kushali, have been living in a maternity den away from visitors learning “critical bear skills.”
“We want to give mom the opportunity to determine how much time Bowie spends exploring the outdoor habitat and when it’s time for a nap,” said mammal curator Martin Ramirez.
“We know everyone’s excited to meet our new cub in person—bear cubs are irresistible and playful. However, we’ll all need to be patient as Bowie learns to navigate her way through new surroundings including a varied landscape. You may even see Bowie piggy backing on mom,” added Ramirez.
Cubs ride on their mother’s backs until they are about six to nine months old.
Two other sloth bears currently live at the zoo: the dad of the cub, Bhutan; and Tasha, the mom of Kushali.
About sloth bears, from Woodland Park Zoo:
- Sloth bears live in forests and grasslands in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
- Adult sloth bears are missing their top two front teeth (incisors), which lets them suck ants and termites right out of their underground tunnels, like a vacuum cleaner! Their shaggy, dusty, black coats deflect sunlight, protecting them from the extremes of tropical heat. No wonder they’re fondly described as shaggy slurpers!
- Sloth bears forage for termites, grubs and other insects; they also eat grass, flowers, fruit, and honey plus occasional eggs and cultivated crops. At the zoo, they eat insects, honey, fruits and vegetables, eggs and omnivore chow.
- A vulnerable species, sloth bears’ survival is challenged by conflicts with humans and animals for space and food caused by deforestation, the bear parts trade for use in traditional Asian medicines and fragmented populations.
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