Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo 1-year-old female sloth bear Bowie is behind the scenes for several weeks, recovering from surgery to repair a broken bone. Bowie, a 1-year-old, female sloth bear at Woodland Park Zoo, is recovering from surgery to repair a fractured femur in her right thigh. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Duane Robinson and his surgical team joined the zoo’s animal health staff on Sunday to help the bear. Bowie is recovering from surgery in the quiet, off-view den where the animal keepers can monitor her closely while she heals. She and her mom, Kushali, who continues to be with her daughter during recovery, will be off view for six to eight weeks. Bowie and her attentive mom, Kushali, are together in a quiet behind the scenes den where our animal care staff can monitor her while she heals. Fracture repair surgery is commonly known as open reduction and internal fixation. “Once the fracture was reduced with good alignment,...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Beautiful Tasha was 20 years old, which is geriatric for a sloth bear. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo is mourning the loss of Tasha, a 20-year-old, female sloth bear. The elderly bear was humanely euthanized after cancer was discovered during a diagnostic exam. Showing signs of rapidly declining health, lack of appetite, and lethargy, Tasha underwent an urgent diagnostic exam which revealed a large amount of free fluid in her abdomen containing malignant tumor cells. This indicated a diagnosis of advanced cancer with severe systemic effects, explained Dr. Tim Storms, Director of Animal Health at Woodland Park Zoo. “Considering the severity of her condition and a grave prognosis, we made the humane decision to euthanize Tasha,” said Storms. “Tasha was possibly our most beautiful sloth bear. Her long shaggy coat was always perfectly arranged and flowed in the wind when she walked. Her expressive hazel eyes appeared full of de...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo’s sloth bear cub, a 3-month-old girl named Bowie, will meet the public this weekend. Bowie, who shares the same birthday, January 8, as icon David Bowie, will be introduced to the outdoor habitat with her mom, Kushali. Outdoor time will be weather-dependent. Since she was born, Bowie has been living with mom in a maternity den away from visitors. Here in a private setting, she has been thriving and learning critical bear skills from mom. Kushali and Bowie will be given the choice to go outdoors, so visibility to zoo guests will be intermittent initially, explained Martin Ramirez, a mammal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “We want to give mom the opportunity to determine how much time Bowie spends exploring the outdoor habitat and when it’s time for a nap,” said Ramirez. “We know everyone’s excited to meet our new cub in person—bear cubs are irresistible and playful. However, we’ll a...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications The snuggle is real! Mom Kushali cuddles with sloth bear cub, Bowie, in a quiet off-view maternity den. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo As winter hangs on and people still immerse in hygge, a mama sloth bear is denning up with her new cub, a girl! The cub was born in January to mom Kushali and dad Bhutan. The gestation period for sloth bears is about six months. The zoo’s sloth bear team has named the cub Bowie as a tribute to the late David Bowie whose birthday is January 8, the same day the cub was born. The last birth of sloth bears at the zoo was in 2022 when Kushali gave birth to her first offspring—a son and daughter who continue to thrive at new homes. Woodland Park Zoo Animal Curator Martin Ramirez explained that Bowie is nursing regularly, she’s very vocal and she has a full, rounded tummy, all positive signs she’s healthy. Kushali and Bowie are currently living in an off-view maternity den for a more quiet, comfortable environment to encourage...