Woodland Park Zoo Seek Name for Sloth Bear Cub

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: April 19, 2022 3:34 pm

A 3 month old sloth bear cub explores its exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo

Photo Credit: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo are seeking help to name one of their 3 month old sloth bear cubs. The cubs are now beginning to explore their Banyan Wilds habitat ahead of their debut for visitors in the near future.

Animal keepers have selected a shortlist of names in Hindi owing to the sloth bears native range which covers Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The selected names are -

Jangel (JAHN-gal) – Forest

Madhu (muh-DOO) – Sweet, Honey

Pahar (pah-HAAR) – Mountain

Rajesh (RAJ-esh) – God of Kings (formal) 

Raju (RAW-joo) – God of Kings (informal, more endearing)

Votes are being accepted from Monday, April 18 until noon (PDT) on Thursday, April 21. You can cast your vote here - Sloth Bear Naming | Woodland Park Zoo

A 3 month old sloth bear cub explores its exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo

Photo Credit: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo

The male cub for which the zoo is seeking a name and his sister were born to first-time mom Kushali (kuu-SHAW-lee) and dad Bhutan (boo-TAHN) on New Year's Day.

Special friends of the zoo have been invited to provide a name for the female cub.

Kushali is gradually guiding her cubs in to the main exhibit where they can explore. At present the viewing windows in the Banyan Wilds habitat are covered to provide the new family privacy. Keepers anticipate zoo-goers will be able to see the cubs in the near future.

-- AD --

Among bears the sloth bear is the only species which will carry their young on their back. The cubs will ride around on her back for 6 to 9 months.

Sloth bears are a vulnerable species which are 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.

Woodland Park Zoo support conservation for sloth bears by providing funds to Wildlife SOS, a conservation organization in India that runs wildlife rescue centers and helps communities coexist with sloth bears and other native species.

Learn more about Sloth Bears here - Sloth Bear Fact File | The Animal Facts

Learn more about the Woodland Park Zoo on their website – Woodland Park Zoo

A 3 month old sloth bear cub explores its exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo

Photo Credit: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo