What:
Media are invited to a sneak preview of Woodland Park Zoo’s twin sloth bear cubs Thursday, April 29. To help ensure the health of the male cubs and successful maternal bonding, the zoo has kept the mother and cubs off view in a maternity den since their birth. Pabu (paw-boo) and Namba (nahm-buh), who currently weigh between 19 and 22 pounds, were born to 5-year-old mother Khali (call-lee) and 8-year-old Randy in January.

Beginning Friday, April 30, the cubs will be on exhibit in the Asian bears grotto from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. daily. The mother will have access to the off-view maternity den should she choose to retreat for nursing sessions or if raining. This is the first time the community will see sloth bear cubs at the zoo in 20 years.

When:
Sneak preview: Thursday, April 29, 9:30 a.m.
Public debut: begins Friday, April 30, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. daily.

Where:
Woodland Park Zoo Asian bears grotto. Please enter the zoo through the ARC building near the West Gate at N. 55th St. & Phinney Ave. N. Note: the ARC is now locked to the public. PR staff will provide access through the building. For late arrivals, enter through the West Gate’s admissions.

Other:
Sloth bear births are very rare in zoos and very little is known about the endangered species, both in zoos and in the wild. As of the last published information available, only 44 individuals exist in North American zoos and among private cooperative breeders. As a leader in captive reproduction, Woodland Park Zoo was chosen to breed its pair under the sloth bear Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative breeding program to ensure genetic diversity and demographic stability in North American zoos.

Sloth bears are native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Unlike other bear species, sloth bear cubs ride on the backs of mothers. The endangered species faces threats of habitat loss and the demand for bear parts in traditional Asian medicines. In the wild, fewer than 10,000 remain.

Info:
Free sloth bear talks are offered at the zoo’s Auditorium every Sunday, 1:30 p.m. through June 27. The zoo opens 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily and closes 6:00 p.m. beginning May 1. For admission information and how to become a zoo member, call 206-684-4800 or 684-4026 (TTY), or visit the zoo’s Web site at www.zoo.org.

Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, top award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting a standard for zoos all over the world. With conservation, education and excellent animal care at the core of the zoo’s mission, the zoo is helping to save endangered species in Washington state and around the world including tree kangaroos, snow leopards, red-crowned cranes, African wild dogs, western pond turtles and Oregon silverspot butterflies. By inspiring visitors and others to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.