SEATTLE — Congratulations are in order as Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo celebrates the birth of a new sloth bear cub, a baby girl born on January 8.
The cub was named Bowie by the zoo’s sloth bear team, in honor of the late David Bowie who shares the cub’s winter birthday.
Bowie’s parents are mom Kushali and dad Bhutan. According to the zoo, the last birth of sloth bears was in 2022 when Kushali gave birth to her first offspring—a son and daughter who continue to thrive in new homes.
Woodland Park Zoo Animal Curator Martin Ramirez confirmed that all signs point to a healthy Bowie as she hangs out in an off-view maternity den to be monitored and bond with her mom.
“We should begin introducing mom and cub to the public starting in April. It will be an exciting time as visitors get a snapshot of sloth bear maternal care and the fascinating adaptations of sloth bears and, we hope, take genuine interest in the species and actions to help them survive into the future,” said Ramirez.
According to the zoo, the first couple months in a sloth bear’s life are very fragile. Cubs gestate for around 6 months and are born extremely small, blind, and weighing only about a pound. They open their eyes at about 25-35 days old and attempt to walk starting at 45-55 days. When the cubs reach about 2 months old, they’ll hitch a ride on mom’s back, a unique behavior that sloth bear mothers do to transport their cubs, and will ride until they’re 6 to 9 months old.
The care team reports that momma sloth bear has kept a tight paw on her cub, which means Bowie’s care team has only been able to get their hands on her for one natal exam at two weeks old. Despite this, visual exams prove that Bowie is healthy and plump, likely due to the lack of littermates to share mom’s milk. Bowie’s eyes have opened, her fur has darkened, her ears have perked up, and she is now trying her best to sit up with Mom’s help.
The care team has also noticed mom Kushali “rocking” her cub. “When the cub is fussy, Kushali places the cub on her feet and bounces her to soothe her; it’s a pretty cute, distinctive behavior,” noted Arden Robert, an Animal Care Manager at Woodland Park Zoo.
Sloth bears in zoos are rare, with just 48 currently living in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. The Woodland Park Zoo affirms that every birth of sloth bears is significant for the Sloth Bear Species Survival Plan.
Find out more about Bowie at the Woodland Park Zoo website.
©2025 Cox Media Group
