Two sloth bear cubs born at Smithsonian's National Zoo, first births since 2013

People reports the Smithsonian's National Zoo welcomed two sloth bear cubs on Dec. 7. The births, the first at the zoo since 2013, occurred in an off-exhibit den on the Asia Trail at approximately 2:30 and 4:30 a.m., the zoo said. The cubs’ sex has not yet been determined and neither has been named.

Their mother, Molly, a 6-year-old who arrived from Sunset Zoo in Kansas last April, became pregnant after a breeding recommendation from the Species Survival Plan; keepers observed breeding behaviors with two males, Niko, 11, and Deemak, 7, in July. DNA testing by the zoo’s genomics lab will confirm which male sired the cubs, and the zoo said it’s possible each male sired one cub.

The National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is one of 15 zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that house sloth bears, and the AZA population includes only 42 sloth bears, which the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists as vulnerable. “The birth of two sloth bear cubs at Smithsonian’s National Zoo is a significant achievement for the AZA’s Species Survival Plan,” Asia Trail curator Michael Brown-Palsgrove said in a statement.

Key Topics

Science, Sloth Bear, Smithsonian National Zoo, Species Survival Plan, Aza, Molly