Sloth bear News

For the first time since 2013, keepers at the Zoo have welcomed two sloth bear cubs.

Giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji are settling in nicely in their new home at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda’s ShenShuPing Campus.

She's spunky, engaging and loves eating bugs. Get to know this 10-year-old female sloth bear, the newest resident of the Zoo’s Asia Trail.

Grab a delicious snack with prehensile-tailed porcupine Quilliam, have a ball watching our cheetah cubs play and behold beaver Aspen as he fells a tree. July brought about many exciting moments, not the least of which was the reopening of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo! Before you plan your visit...

Asia Trail keepers at the Smithsonian National Zoo are mourning the loss of Remi, a 6-year-old female sloth bear who was humanely euthanized May 2, following a foot wound that was not healing despite medical treatment.

Given the choice between mealworms and melons, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s sloth bears—6-year-old female Remi and 5-year-old male Niko—will almost always choose the former, even when their diet is presented to them in the form of a photo. Animal keepers at the Zoo’s Asia Trail exhibit are the...

Make the most of your time out of the office with a visit to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo!

Is she or isn’t she? Excitement is in the air at Asia Trail, where the Zoo’s 5-year-old female sloth bear, Remi, may be expecting a cub! To monitor her for potential cub development, keepers are training Remi to voluntarily participate in ultrasounds. In this Q&A, animal keeper Stacey Tabellario...

Get the scoop on the Zoo’s new 3-year-old sloth bear, Niko, from animal keeper Mindy Babitz.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo recently welcomed a new sloth bear into its zoological family. Niko, a 2-year-old male, arrived Oct. 6 from NaturZoo Rheine in Germany and joins 3-year-old female sloth bear Remi at the Zoo’s Asia Trail exhibit.

Training sloth bears, making an otter puzzle feeder and researching red pandas by studying their poop. It’s all in a day’s work for animal keeper Tallie Wiles! Follow her story for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into a day in the life of an Asia Trail keeper. Asia Trail is home to the Smithsonian's...

A 21-year-old female sloth bear named Hana was humanely euthanized at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Monday, Oct. 17. In human care, sloth bears typically have a median life expectancy of early-to-mid 20s. Hana exhibited signs of lethargy and discomfort as well as a decline in appetite over the...

Happy birthday to sloth bear cub Remi! With the help of a dedicated group of biologists, keepers, veterinarians and nutritionists, hand-reared cub Remi made it through her first year and is thriving, weighing in at 125 lbs. Keepers describe Remi as smart, goofy, and social. Remi is one of three...

It's time for an update on our sloth bear cub, Remi! Animal keepers Mindy Babitz and Stacey Tabellario tell us that since making her yard debut in May, Remi has been busy behind-the-scenes getting to know the other bears on Asia Trail. As a baby, Remi was getting round-the-clock feedings. Has...

Four month-old sloth bear cub, Remi, ventured outside for the very first time this morning with her surrogate bear moms and dad! She quickly began exploring her outdoor yard with keepers nearby. They were happy to report that she did very well during her first trip outside, climbing and playing, but...

A sloth bear cub and a seal pup by any other name would still be as sweet, but our keepers chose the perfect names for them. Our sloth bear cub is named Remi and our seal pup is named Rona! Asia Trail keepers who have been hand-rearing our sloth bear cub chose the name Remi. The name is derived from...

The decision for keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo to hand-raise a female sloth bear cub instead of leaving her with her mother Khali likely saved her life. She is now very active and growing as the result of the round-the-clock care she has received for the past two-and-a-half months. The...

Hank is a year old today! Hank now weighs about 125 pounds. His favorite foods are butternut squash, peanut butter, and grapes. Hank and Hana share the same birthday so we will have a special birthday party to celebrate both bears. We have ordered some special treats for their birthday and will...

Hank is not only a daring adventurer, he's also a budding musician! This section of fire hose makes a great sound—like a tuba—and is one of his favorite toys. You can help keep all the animals at the Zoo busy with toys and other enrichment by donating to the Enrichment Giving Tree. sloth bear...

Our energetic sloth bear cub Hank is nine months old today! He enjoys exploring on his own and testing the limits with Hana and his keepers, but he's not yet fully independent from mom.The duo continues to have long play sessions, followed by naps. Hank now weighs in at around 90 pounds, so even...

Hank has been very active in the yard despite the heat. It's not unusual to see him running all over the yard, climbing every tree, and then playing in the pool. After about an hour or two running around the yard in the morning he and Hana normally settle down for a nap in the shade of the doorway...

Hank is doing really well in the exhibit. He has explored a lot of it, but not yet all of it. The exhibit is gigantic, especially compared to a 6-month-old sloth bear. He explores a little more of the exhibit each day. He put his feet in the pool several days ago, and he's already figured out how to...

The daring and adventurous sloth bear cub, Hank, made his public debut at the Smithsonian's National Zoo today. He is the first sloth bear born at the Zoo in seven years. Born December 19, 2012, Hank and his mother Hana have spent the past six months in a den near the Asia Trail exhibit. Now that he...

In a poll conducted on the Zoo's Facebook page, 830 fans elected to name the cub Hank, a moniker that combines the cubs' parents' names, Hana and Francois. "Hank" proved to be more popular than "Ravi" or "Bandar," which received 615 and 219 votes, respectively. It's important for Hank to know his...

Our 15 week-old sloth bear cub had a check up yesterday, and he received a clean bill of health! Veterinarians examined his eyes, mouth and nose; they listened to his heart and lungs; and they checked his limbs and feet. He also received his first vaccinations. As a treat for cooperating for the...