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On December 4th, at approximately 4:00AM, “Kematee,” a 4-year-old sloth bear, gave birth to a single cub in the secluded den area located behind her public habitat. Then, at approximately 9:30AM, she gave birth to a second cub! These are the first births for Kematee, who arrived at Zoo Miami in 2021 from the Philadelphia Zoo where she was born. The father is “Hank,” who is 11 years old and arrived at Zoo Miami in 2016 from the National Zoo in Washington D.C. where he was born. The newborns are also his first surviving cubs. They are the first sloth bears born at Zoo Miami since 1998.
This week, the Animal Health Team was able to do a neonatal exam and determine their sexes. This procedure was done quickly to minimize the stress of the temporary separation from mom who was trained to station at a certain area while the cubs were safely secured. Both cubs are females and appear to be in good health, weighing between 2 and 3 pounds each.
Kematee will remain off-exhibit, secluded in her den with the cubs, to help ensure that they are able to continue to establish a strong bond with minimal interruptions or distractions. She is demonstrating excellent maternal care, and the hope is to introduce mom and cubs onto their outdoor habitat as soon as the staff is confident that they are able to safely navigate the area which may take several weeks.
Sloth bears are considered a vulnerable species that is threatened by poaching and habitat destruction. They are solitary and found in moist and dry forests of the Indian subcontinent where they feed primarily on fruit and insects – especially termites. There is a gap in their upper front teeth which enables them to create a straw with their long lips and suck up termites and other insects quickly and effectively. Their long shaggy coat does not have an undercoat, so it helps keep them cool in their native warm climate while protecting them from biting insects.
