Comments on: A New Bear On the Block

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:00:13 +0000

Susan #6,

I am grateful for the organizations that work to save sloth bears from the dancing trade. It’s a devastating industry for the species. We are in touch with some folks from a group called Wildlife SOS and hope that in the future we may be able to collaborate with them.

David #7,

There are no plans currently to acquire either of the two species you mention. The American black bear is the least threatened of all bear species, and so there is little need for assistance with this bear in captivity. We are collaborating with Asian zoos to include the Asiatic black in our research efforts.

By: David G. Signer

David G. Signer — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:05:26 +0000

When, if ever, do you plan on acquiring Ursus americanus and Ursus thibetanus?

By: Susan Harrison, Santa Clara, CA

Susan Harrison, Santa Clara, CA — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:50:47 +0000

It’s so nice to see a sloth bear to be part of the SDZ family. Will he get a mate too? WSPA is working on freeing many of these bears in India. They have a sanctuary there, hopefully, SDZ can work with them?

By: Lily

Lily — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:55:58 +0000

I have been visiting th SD Zoo since 1971 – and I always look forward to seeing the Bears in your collection. I am a bit sad though that their habitats have not been updated for as long as I can remember. There is so much effort (and I suppose funding) for making other species in the park seem right at home and in surroundings as much like nature as possible. Any plans for upgrading the Bears?

Our Curator of Mammals responds: Upgrading or replacing the bear exhibits is a high priority for us. As funding becomes available we will implement our improvement plans. Even though some of our exhibits are old, they do still effectively provide the space and activity needs of the species that live in them because of the increased skill and professionalism of the animal care staff.

By: Suzanne Hall

Suzanne Hall — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:25:22 +0000

Nancy #1,

Aww, I think Buddha is so cute! I suppose beauty really is in the eye of the beholder…

Taylor #3,

Buddha, the offspring of bears that used to reside at our zoo many years back, has been living at a private wildlife ranch in Tennessee.

By: Taylor

Taylor — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:52:50 +0000

Great blog! What zoo did Buddha come from? Is he the zoos first sloth bear?

By: Shirley Sykes

Shirley Sykes — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:53:52 +0000

I’m looking forward to seeing Buddha, and maybe even hearing his slurping! Our bear collection is growing more varied and interesting all the time, and they tell such an important story about problems of their survival in the wild. Thanks for keeping us all up to date, Suzanne.

By: nancy from michigan

nancy from michigan — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:48:55 +0000

thanks for the post on the newcomer Buddha the sloth bear! he is kind of goofy looking and not what you would call a beautiful bear, but none the less important and probably interesting when we learn more about them! we can’t all be good-looking can we? looking forward to more posts in the future about Buddah buddy. are all the bears represented at the zoo? black bear? grizzley? I can’t remember!!!! quite a difference in all their backgrounds, habitats, numbers, etc.! keep teaching us what we don’t know about and educate as many children ( and grown-ups!) about the animal world. your zoo links are the best!

Moderator’s note: We now have 6 of the 8 bear species (we don’t have North American black bears or Asiatic black bears). We have blogs written about all of the others. Check out our “Bear Awareness” blog category at http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/category/default/bear-awareness-days/