Woodland Park Zoo’s sloth bear Tasha gave birth to twin cubs on Dec. 27. The cubs’ father is Bhutan.
Mother and cubs will remain off view until March. Keepers are monitoring their progress through a webcam so as not to disturb their bonding time.
Photo courtesy Woodland Park Zoo.
Animal care staff will continue to monitor the cubs’ progress on the den cam and will perform a routine wellness and development check on the cubs if Tasha begins to temporarily shift in and out of the maternity den. Sloth bears are born extremely small and blind at birth. They open their eyes at between 3 to 4 weeks old and can walk shortly after their eyes open. Unlike other bear species, sloth bear mothers carry cubs on their back when cubs reach about 2 months. If all goes well, weather included, Tasha and her cubs could be on exhibit sometime in March.
The zoo’s sloth bears are located in the state-of-the-art exhibit complex Banyan Wilds which also features Malayan tigers, Asian small-clawed otters and tropical birds.
