Snowleopard's Mammals: A Lifetime List of Species Mammalian and Non-Mammalian

[Osedax]

Why exactly did the seemingly preferred name switch from spectacled bear to Andean bear? I've never seen a good answer for that. For other species whose previously preferred common name is debatably falling out of favor, or at least losing ground (ie, Indian rhinoceros > greater one-horned rhinoceros, African wild dog > painted dog) I can understand the increased clarity offered by the latter name. But from what I can tell, spectacled and Andean both seem equally apt for this bear.

I heard it was because a large percentage of the bears do not have spectacle markings.

 

[Coelacanth18]

Painted Dog is an infinitely better name than African Wild Dog though. "Wild Dog" just sounds so generic, "Painted Dog" is more poetic.

"Wild Dog" also has more negative connotations attached to it than "Painted Dog"; from a colloquial English standpoint it conveys an animal that is to be feared, rather than a beautiful animal with unique markings.

 

[snowleopard]

The Andean Bears are probably luckiest of the family in Europe, and one of the luckiest large mammals as a whole.

Chester, Zurich, Frankfurt, Duisburg, Givskud and Doue La Fontaine are all world class exhibits and Berlin, Vienna, Wilhelma or Port Lympne are not far behind.

You've named 10 European zoos with terrific Andean Bear exhibits and there might even be more examples.

As for North American zoos, there's the superb one in Nashville, the new one at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo looks decent, Queens Zoo...and that makes 3 above average Andean Bear exhibits. I'm not sure if any others are much more than mediocre to average, including Cleveland's manicured lawn, brand-new 'Bear Hollow' complex.

Europe is leagues ahead in terms of the quality of Andean Bear exhibits, plus it really resonates with me just how superb the Andean Bear/Coati habitat was when it opened at Zurich Zoo in 1995. At that time, so many facilities had bears on slabs of cement and yet Zurich opened the first of their many masterpieces. I visited that zoo in late 2003 and I remember sitting and watching the bears and coatis for probably longer than I spent inside the sweltering humidity of Masoala Forest.

 

[snowleopard]

The 5th most common bear species for me has been the Sun Bear, which I've seen at 27 zoos. That genuinely surprised me when I added up my mammal species totals last year, as I was expecting a much lower number. More than 50% of all the U.S. zoos on this list no longer have Sun Bears, as this species has been a notoriously poor breeder in captivity. A lot of my sightings were a decade or more ago and even in Europe it's rare to see Sun Bears. Unless something drastic occurs, the Sun Bear population in zoos outside of Asia is going to eventually be almost non-existent.

1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 1994
2- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2005
3- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2006
4- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Sun Bear – 2007
5- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – Sun Bear – 2007
6- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
7- Lincoln Park Zoo- Illinois (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
8- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
9- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
10- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
11- Zoo Miami (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
12- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2010
13- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2010
14- Audubon Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2010
15- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2010
16- El Paso Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2010
17- Oakland Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2011
18- Reid Park Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2011
19- Virginia Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2012
20- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2012
21- Miller Park Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2014
22- Pueblo Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2014
23- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – Sun Bear – 2019
24- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Sun Bear – 2019
25- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – Sun Bear – 2019
26- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Sun Bear – 2019
27- Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) – Sun Bear – 2019

I saw Sun Bears on many occasions at Woodland Park Zoo (USA) throughout the 1990s and 2000s, even though a lot of the time a sighting would be a pacing bear at the back of the enclosure. For a 1950s-era grotto, this exhibit was well-furnished with a lot of foliage and the bears were difficult to spot. Eventually the zoo's Sun Bears were sent away in 2012, to Virginia Zoo on the East Coast, and replaced by Sloth Bears. Woodland Park Zoo specifically mentioned "the warm weather and high humidity in Virginia" in the press release, because the bears never bred in rainy, chilly Seattle and in fact other than San Diego there was always a struggle to breed Sun Bears in North American zoos.

Oregon Zoo (USA) also had Sun Bears throughout my visits in the 2000s, in a god-awful grotto that was arguably the worst exhibit in the zoo. The last Sun Bear died in 2016 and the zoo demolished the enclosure to make way for a new Polar Bear complex.

Seeing Sun Bears at San Diego Zoo (USA) has been very common over the years, with several births as well. Strip away the surrounding vegetation, and Sun Bear Forest is really just an outdated grotto with a lot of logs piled up in the middle. It's probably 35 years old and could honestly use a revamp.

@TheoV

Taronga Zoo (Australia) has had Sun Bears for decades and this is the exhibit I saw in 2007. I specifically remember one bear pacing in a depressing fashion on a log. It went back and forth, back and forth in an endless loop on a single long log. It was brutal to watch.

@Baldur

In 2008, when I was at Minnesota Zoo (USA), there was a small rocky grotto entirely indoors for Sun Bears. Here's another example of an American zoo that now lacks the species.

Here's my photo of two Sun Bears at Lincoln Park Zoo (USA) in 2008. Probably around 2015 the zoo phased out the species.

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) had Sun Bears in its Asia Quest complex for many years and I saw them there in 2008. They were phased out and replaced by Sloth Bears.

Next on my list were the zoos in Omaha and Fort Worth, now both having phased out Sun Bears in favour of the demolition of Bear Canyon (into Sea Lion Shores) in Omaha, and a lack of reproductive success in Fort Worth. Even Zoo Miami (USA) used to have Sun Bears, now long gone, although their exhibit was a spacious one.

I found an American zoo that still has Sun Bears! It seems that Saint Louis Zoo (USA) maintains the species in its River's Edge complex.

@Moebelle

Audubon Zoo (USA) had an extremely lush Sun Bear exhibit when I was there in 2010:

A 1970s-era Sun Bear exhibit at Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) in 2010:

El Paso Zoo (USA) had a grassy yard for Sun Bears that same year:

Compared to the junky cement grottoes at many establishments, the Sun Bear exhibit at Oakland Zoo (USA) is extraordinary. Visitors peer down from one viewing platform, which isn't ideal, but the space available to the bears is nothing short of phenomenal. I took this photo in 2023 and the habitat has held up really well over the years.

Another American facility that has since phased out Sun Bears is Reid Park Zoo (USA), but check out that tongue back in the day!

@Arizona Docent

It was amusing for me to visit Virginia Zoo (USA) in 2012 and see the same two Sun Bears that I would spot all the time at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Trail of the Tiger was the new Asian complex that had just opened in Virginia the year before.

@Moebelle

Miller Park Zoo (USA) had a Sun Bear when I was there in 2014. Some of the exhibits surrounding the 1914 Koetthoefer Animal Building are quite poor.

Cologne Zoo (Germany) has Sun Bears in an old grotto that at least has grass and is well-furnished with old logs. It's not great, but it's not awful either.

Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) has a weird wooden climbing frame in its Sun Bear exhibit:

@KevinB

I highlighted this next exhibit when discussing Binturongs, as at Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) there's a large Sun Bear mixed-species habitat that's seen some breeding success.

@Paul Kalisch

How often do North American zoos let visitors 'behind the curtain' to view the indoor quarters of bears? Very rarely. This is the indoor portion of the Sun Bear exhibit at Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) in 2019.

Ursidae:

American Black Bears - 100 zoos
Brown Bears - 92 zoos
Polar Bears - 47 zoos
Andean Bears - 32 zoos
Sun Bears - 27 zoos

 

[15399]

You've named 10 European zoos with terrific Andean Bear exhibits and there might even be more examples.

As for North American zoos, there's the superb one in Nashville, the new one at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo looks decent, Queens Zoo...and that makes 3 above average Andean Bear exhibits. I'm not sure if any others are much more than mediocre to average, including Cleveland's manicured lawn, brand-new 'Bear Hollow' complex.

Europe is leagues ahead in terms of the quality of Andean Bear exhibits, plus it really resonates with me just how superb the Andean Bear/Coati habitat was when it opened at Zurich Zoo in 1995. At that time, so many facilities had bears on slabs of cement and yet Zurich opened the first of their many masterpieces. I visited that zoo in late 2003 and I remember sitting and watching the bears and coatis for probably longer than I spent inside the sweltering humidity of Masoala Forest.

Queens Zoo is definitely my favorite Andean bear exhibit I've seen (and one of two highlights at this otherwise average small zoo). That said, I also really like the exhibit at Rosamond Gifford Zoo. While it's older, the exhibit is spacious, contains varied terrain, and has a lot of complex features for the bear to use such as trees, hammocks, rockwork, etc. I've also seen their Andean bear active on numerous occasions, which is a big plus! The viewing areas for this exhibit are also superb- as it can be viewed from multiple angles and the views allow for great photography due to the lack of chain link, mesh, or glare-filled windows.

Some more recent photos of the exhibit:

By: @TinoPup

By: @TinoPup

By: @Neil chace

By: @TinoPup

 

[Panda_Fan]

Sorry for my ignorance, but why sun bears don't breed well in captivity?

 

[snowleopard]

Sorry for my ignorance, but why sun bears don't breed well in captivity?

Of the 20 American zoos where I've seen Sun Bears, only 4 zoos still have the species and in the future that number will likely go down to zero.

San Diego Zoo
Saint Louis Zoo
Audubon Zoo
Oakland Zoo

If I'm not mistaken, only San Diego Zoo has bred Sun Bears in the USA in the past few decades, and they've had at least 4 cubs there. There doesn't seem to be any conclusive method to initiate breeding with the species, although looking online it does seem that several facilities make refence to the climate of Sun Bears in the wild. Perhaps nowhere in the USA can replicate a Southeast Asian rainforest.

There's only around a dozen or so zoos in all of Europe with Sun Bears, and breeding has been difficult there as well. Burgers' Zoo cracked the code with three births in 2022 (from two different females) and so perhaps there is hope for the future.

 

[Nile Hippo Expert]

Of the 20 American zoos where I've seen Sun Bears, only 7 zoos still have the species and in the future that number could possibly go down to zero.

San Diego Zoo
Saint Louis Zoo
Audubon Zoo
El Paso Zoo
Oakland Zoo
Virginia Zoo
Pueblo Zoo

If I'm not mistaken, only San Diego Zoo has bred Sun Bears in the USA in the past few decades, and they've had at least 4 cubs there. There doesn't seem to be any conclusive method to initiate breeding with the species, although looking online it does seem that several facilities make refence to the climate of Sun Bears in the wild. Perhaps nowhere in the USA can replicate a Southeast Asian rainforest.

There's only around a dozen or so zoos in all of Europe with Sun Bears, and breeding has been difficult there as well. Burgers' Zoo cracked the code with three births in 2022 (from two different females) and so perhaps there is hope for the future.

There are only 11 Sun Bears left in North American Zoos total (10 AZA, 1 non-AZA) and none of them are that young. They are a phase-out species in the U.S afaik.

 

[biggest_dreamer]

I knew the US sun bear situation was really bad now (hence putting them 7th in my speculative ranking), but I didn't realize just how recently it was that things weren't quite so dire. I would love to see a turnaround, but I'm not optimistic about any large scale imports happening at this point. I guess I'll just further appreciate Atlanta's while they're still around.

 

[Osedax]

Taronga Zoo (Australia) has had Sun Bears for decades and this is the exhibit I saw in 2007. I specifically remember one bear pacing in a depressing fashion on a log. It went back and forth, back and forth in an endless loop on a single long log. It was brutal to watch.

The bears that you saw (Mr Hobbs and Victoria) were rescued from the restaurant trade in Cambodia, which explains the stereotypical behaviour. Victoria never really recovered and died at only 16. Mr Hobbs lived to over 25. The current Sun Bear, Mary, lives in the old Kodiak Bear exhibit, and the old Sun Bear exhibit (now off-display) houses a pair of Asian Small-clawed Otters.

 

[Lori Patton]

The 5th most common bear species for me has been the Sun Bear, which I've seen at 27 zoos. That genuinely surprised me when I added up my mammal species totals last year, as I was expecting a much lower number. More than 50% of all the U.S. zoos on this list no longer have Sun Bears, as this species has been a notoriously poor breeder in captivity. A lot of my sightings were a decade or more ago and even in Europe it's rare to see Sun Bears. Unless something drastic occurs, the Sun Bear population in zoos outside of Asia is going to eventually be almost non-existent.

1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 1994
2- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2005
3- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2006
4- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Sun Bear – 2007
5- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – Sun Bear – 2007
6- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
7- Lincoln Park Zoo- Illinois (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
8- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
9- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
10- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
11- Zoo Miami (USA) – Sun Bear – 2008
12- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2010
13- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2010
14- Audubon Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2010
15- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2010
16- El Paso Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2010
17- Oakland Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2011
18- Reid Park Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2011
19- Virginia Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2012
20- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2012
21- Miller Park Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2014
22- Pueblo Zoo (USA) – Sun Bear – 2014
23- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – Sun Bear – 2019
24- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Sun Bear – 2019
25- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – Sun Bear – 2019
26- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Sun Bear – 2019
27- Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) – Sun Bear – 2019

I saw Sun Bears on many occasions at Woodland Park Zoo (USA) throughout the 1990s and 2000s, even though a lot of the time a sighting would be a pacing bear at the back of the enclosure. For a 1950s-era grotto, this exhibit was well-furnished with a lot of foliage and the bears were difficult to spot. Eventually the zoo's Sun Bears were sent away in 2012, to Virginia Zoo on the East Coast, and replaced by Sloth Bears. Woodland Park Zoo specifically mentioned "the warm weather and high humidity in Virginia" in the press release, because the bears never bred in rainy, chilly Seattle and in fact other than San Diego there was always a struggle to breed Sun Bears in North American zoos.

Oregon Zoo (USA) also had Sun Bears throughout my visits in the 2000s, in a god-awful grotto that was arguably the worst exhibit in the zoo. The last Sun Bear died in 2016 and the zoo demolished the enclosure to make way for a new Polar Bear complex.

Seeing Sun Bears at San Diego Zoo (USA) has been very common over the years, with several births as well. Strip away the surrounding vegetation, and Sun Bear Forest is really just an outdated grotto with a lot of logs piled up in the middle. It's probably 35 years old and could honestly use a revamp.

@TheoV

Taronga Zoo (Australia) has had Sun Bears for decades and this is the exhibit I saw in 2007. I specifically remember one bear pacing in a depressing fashion on a log. It went back and forth, back and forth in an endless loop on a single long log. It was brutal to watch.

@Baldur

In 2008, when I was at Minnesota Zoo (USA), there was a small rocky grotto entirely indoors for Sun Bears. Here's another example of an American zoo that now lacks the species.

Here's my photo of two Sun Bears at Lincoln Park Zoo (USA) in 2008. Probably around 2015 the zoo phased out the species.

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) had Sun Bears in its Asia Quest complex for many years and I saw them there in 2008. They were phased out and replaced by Sloth Bears.

Next on my list were the zoos in Omaha and Fort Worth, now both having phased out Sun Bears in favour of the demolition of Bear Canyon (into Sea Lion Shores) in Omaha, and a lack of reproductive success in Fort Worth. Even Zoo Miami (USA) used to have Sun Bears, now long gone, although their exhibit was a spacious one.

I found an American zoo that still has Sun Bears! It seems that Saint Louis Zoo (USA) maintains the species in its River's Edge complex.

@Moebelle

Audubon Zoo (USA) had an extremely lush Sun Bear exhibit when I was there in 2010:

A 1970s-era Sun Bear exhibit at Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) in 2010:

El Paso Zoo (USA) had a grassy yard for Sun Bears that same year:

Compared to the junky cement grottoes at many establishments, the Sun Bear exhibit at Oakland Zoo (USA) is extraordinary. Visitors peer down from one viewing platform, which isn't ideal, but the space available to the bears is nothing short of phenomenal. I took this photo in 2023 and the habitat has held up really well over the years.

Another American facility that has since phased out Sun Bears is Reid Park Zoo (USA), but check out that tongue back in the day!

@Arizona Docent

It was amusing for me to visit Virginia Zoo (USA) in 2012 and see the same two Sun Bears that I would spot all the time at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Trail of the Tiger was the new Asian complex that had just opened in Virginia the year before.

@Moebelle

Miller Park Zoo (USA) had a Sun Bear when I was there in 2014. Some of the exhibits surrounding the 1914 Koetthoefer Animal Building are quite poor.

Cologne Zoo (Germany) has Sun Bears in an old grotto that at least has grass and is well-furnished with old logs. It's not great, but it's not awful either.

Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) has a weird wooden climbing frame in its Sun Bear exhibit:

@KevinB

I highlighted this next exhibit when discussing Binturongs, as at Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) there's a large Sun Bear mixed-species habitat that's seen some breeding success.

@Paul Kalisch

How often do North American zoos let visitors 'behind the curtain' to view the indoor quarters of bears? Very rarely. This is the indoor portion of the Sun Bear exhibit at Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) in 2019.

Ursidae:

American Black Bears - 100 zoos
Brown Bears - 92 zoos
Polar Bears - 47 zoos
Andean Bears - 32 zoos
Sun Bears - 27 zoos

It's funny that you mentioned Oregon Zoo's old sun bear exhibit as being perhaps the worst there because when I visited in 1994 that was probably my favorite one! It was my first visit to the zoo after moving to Portland to attend college and the sun bear was the most memorable for me. I had grown up going to the Los Angeles Zoo, which didn't have sun bears, so I thought they were really neat! Also, even though the bear grottos seem like poor enclosures by modern standards, they were par for the course back then. I remember seeing some animals kept in basic cages back in the 80s, so the grottos were actually an improvement over those. How times have changed for exhibit standards!

 

[snowleopard]

Next up, in 6th place for bears, are Sloth Bears at 22 zoos. In North American collections, Giant Pandas are of course only ever going to be in a handful of zoos at best, Sun Bears and Asiatic Black Bears are approaching extinction levels, and that leaves Sloth Bears as the Asian bear species that the AZA has an SSP for.

Three of the zoos had a mixed-species setup with Sloth Bears:

1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 1994
2- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Sloth Bear – 2006
3- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2008
4- Toledo Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2008
5- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2008
6- Zoo Miami (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2008
7- Akron Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2010
8- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2010
9- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2010
10- Montgomery Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2010
11- Zoo Boise (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2010
12- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2011
13- ZooTampa at Lowry Park (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2012
14- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2012
15- Sunset Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2012
16- Tautphaus Park Zoo/Idaho Falls Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2012
17- Lee Richardson Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2014
18- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2015
19- Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) – Sloth Bear (with Corsac Fox & Small-clawed Otter) – 2019
20- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Sloth Bear – 2019
21- NaturZoo Rheine (Germany) – Sloth Bear (with Golden Jackal) – 2019
22- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear (with Small-clawed Otter) – 2023

I have seen Sloth Bears on many occasions at Woodland Park Zoo (USA), and in 2015 the zoo opened Banyan Wilds, which was an updated version of the old bear grottoes. The irony of the 'modernization' is that the old grottoes were better and I miss them! Looking at the image of the two big viewing windows below, the left window is the only vantage point into the smaller bear grotto. The actual exhibit remains basically unchanged from the 1950s, but 90% of the visitor viewing options were eliminated in 2015. So annoying. The right window looks into the second grotto, which again is the same basic size as it was back in the 1950s, except most of the vegetation was removed by both keepers and bears. So, essentially, the fancy sounding Banyan Wilds revamp is just window dressing on a couple of old grottoes.

A classic old Sloth Bear grotto can still be seen at Brookfield Zoo (USA). Just think of how much better this exhibit would be by filling in the dry moat and adding window viewing. The space for the bears would probably double and visitors would be thrilled to get closer views of the animals. Of course, that would cost at least $15 million in Chicago.

@wilson

Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) opened Asia Trail almost 20 years ago and one of the highlights of the complex has always been the Sloth Bear exhibit.

Akron Zoo (USA) used to have Sloth Bears in a fairly small, mediocre exhibit. I'm not sure what became of the enclosure, but my guess is that it became either demolished or part of the new Sumatran Tiger exhibit.

Philadelphia Zoo (USA) has maintained Sloth Bears in their collection for a long time. They currently have Sloth Bears and Andean Bears at the zoo, but when I visited in 2010 I saw 4 species in Bear Country: Sloth, Andean, Asiatic Black and Polar.

They are not there any more, but I saw Sloth Bears in this exhibit at Montgomery Zoo (USA) in 2010:

What do people think of that bright blue paint? Sloth Bear exhibit at Zoo Boise (USA):

If you are an insect, reptile, amphibian, bird or primate at San Diego Zoo (USA), then you quite often are in a spectacular exhibit. It's an amazing zoo. But, truth be told, quite a number of the enclosures for large mammals are very poor, especially those old bear grottoes that must be approaching a century in age. Looking down on a pacing Sloth Bear last summer was not my finest experience at this legendary zoo.

The same could be said for this slightly better Sloth Bear exhibit at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (USA) in 2012:

The worst Sloth Bear exhibit I've ever seen was at Little Rock Zoo (USA) in 2012. A sleeping bear had a sea of mock-rock and cement surrounding it, although with a few woodchips as natural substrate. Very poor indeed.

Sunset Zoo (USA) had a steep chain-link yard for Sloth Bears that was full of undergrowth when I toured the zoo in 2012. It was arguably a fantastic exhibit for the animals.

The zoo advertised its new Sloth Bear exhibit as a modern, progressive enclosure, but I wonder what the bears think? It looks like a suburban front yard!

@MGolka

Seeing Sloth Bears, Small-clawed Otters and Corsac Foxes all interacting at Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) was a fantastic experience.

@KevinB

Berlin Zoo (Germany) has a green, spacious exhibit for Sloth Bears:

@ZooTripper365

I highlighted this next superb exhibit when I spoke of Golden Jackals. NaturZoo Rheine (Germany) had two Sloth Bears and 12 Jackals together when I was there in 2019. Fantastic!

Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) opened Kingdoms of Asia, a Pairi Daiza type themed Asian complex in 2023. I was impressed with the Sloth Bear/Small-clawed Otter exhibit.

Ursidae:

American Black Bears - 100 zoos
Brown Bears - 92 zoos
Polar Bears - 47 zoos
Andean Bears - 32 zoos
Sun Bears - 27 zoos
Sloth Bears - 22 zoos

 

[NNM.]

But, truth be told, quite a number of the enclosures for large mammals are very poor

Yes, that’s something I’ve come to notice looking back on my 2017 visit. It’s bizarre, what’s regarded as the best zoo in the world has some honestly kind of lame enclosures for some if its iconic residents. The bear grottos are quite dated, Urban Jungle is terribly stuck in the past and painfully drab, and the lion exhibit is what stuck out to me, personally. I dare even say the exhibit quality at the Safari Park is more consistently high, especially for those icons.

 

[Panda_Fan]

Yes, that’s something I’ve come to notice looking back on my 2017 visit. It’s bizarre, what’s regarded as the best zoo in the world has some honestly kind of lame enclosures for some if its iconic residents. The bear grottos are quite dated, Urban Jungle is terribly stuck in the past and painfully drab, and the lion exhibit is what stuck out to me, personally. I dare even say the exhibit quality at the Safari Park is more consistently high, especially for those icons.

The SDZ isn't really the beast zoo in the world. Th SDZ built up its reputation with a lot of things, like having giant pandas, a good marketing strategy and a good set of exhibits for small animals (as snowleopard mentioned). Th SDZ isn't a bad zoo, but it isn't the greatest zoo.

 

[NNM.]

The SDZ isn't really the beast zoo in the world. Th SDZ built up its reputation with a lot of things, like having giant pandas, a good marketing strategy and a good set of exhibits for small animals (as snowleopard mentioned). Th SDZ isn't a bad zoo, but it isn't the greatest zoo.

Yeah, I said it that way because it has a reputation of being that, outside of ZooChat, anyway.

 

[Panda_Fan]

Yeah, I said it that way because it has a reputation of being that, outside of ZooChat, anyway.

Totally agree, if you ask a zoo nerd, they would tell you that SDZ isn't the best zoo in the world, but it isn't a bad one.

 

[Panda_Fan]

By the way snowleopard, could you give me a list of the animals that you're going to talk on this thread? I remember you said at some point you would not cover certain species of mammals.
Thanks!!!

 

[birdsandbats]

Totally agree, if you ask a zoo nerd, they would tell you that SDZ isn't the best zoo in the world, but it isn't a bad one.

I've never been to SDZ, and perhaps my opinion would change if I visited, but I do feel like you're understating the zoo here. It's not a bad zoo, you're right. But it's not simply a good zoo, it's a great zoo. It's just not the greatest zoo. It has a few problems, but if anything that's just room for improvement.

 

[Aardwolf]

I’ve literally been inside most of the bear exhibits at San Diego, and - while they aren’t as excellent as, say, Woodland Park or Oakland’s grizzly exhibits, I really don’t think they’re that bad. I do think that San Diego’s reputation is such that a lot of folks go to it expecting it to be perfect or sublime, and as such get extra disappointed when parts of it fail to meet those expectations. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a zoo and not seen exhibits I’ve wanted to completely redo. Heck, I’ve built exhibits I’ve wanted to completely redo

 

[15399]

Next up, in 6th place for bears, are Sloth Bears at 22 zoos. In North American collections, Giant Pandas are of course only ever going to be in a handful of zoos at best, Sun Bears and Asiatic Black Bears are approaching extinction levels, and that leaves Sloth Bears as the Asian bear species that the AZA has an SSP for.

Three of the zoos had a mixed-species setup with Sloth Bears:

1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 1994
2- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Sloth Bear – 2006
3- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2008
4- Toledo Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2008
5- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2008
6- Zoo Miami (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2008
7- Akron Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2010
8- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2010
9- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2010
10- Montgomery Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2010
11- Zoo Boise (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2010
12- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2011
13- ZooTampa at Lowry Park (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2012
14- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2012
15- Sunset Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2012
16- Tautphaus Park Zoo/Idaho Falls Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2012
17- Lee Richardson Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2014
18- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear – 2015
19- Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) – Sloth Bear (with Corsac Fox & Small-clawed Otter) – 2019
20- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Sloth Bear – 2019
21- NaturZoo Rheine (Germany) – Sloth Bear (with Golden Jackal) – 2019
22- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Sloth Bear (with Small-clawed Otter) – 2023

I have seen Sloth Bears on many occasions at Woodland Park Zoo (USA), and in 2015 the zoo opened Banyan Wilds, which was an updated version of the old bear grottoes. The irony of the 'modernization' is that the old grottoes were better and I miss them! Looking at the image of the two big viewing windows below, the left window is the only vantage point into the smaller bear grotto. The actual exhibit remains basically unchanged from the 1950s, but 90% of the visitor viewing options were eliminated in 2015. So annoying. The right window looks into the second grotto, which again is the same basic size as it was back in the 1950s, except most of the vegetation was removed by both keepers and bears. So, essentially, the fancy sounding Banyan Wilds revamp is just window dressing on a couple of old grottoes.

A classic old Sloth Bear grotto can still be seen at Brookfield Zoo (USA). Just think of how much better this exhibit would be by filling in the dry moat and adding window viewing. The space for the bears would probably double and visitors would be thrilled to get closer views of the animals. Of course, that would cost at least $15 million in Chicago.

@wilson

Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) opened Asia Trail almost 20 years ago and one of the highlights of the complex has always been the Sloth Bear exhibit.

Akron Zoo (USA) used to have Sloth Bears in a fairly small, mediocre exhibit. I'm not sure what became of the enclosure, but my guess is that it became either demolished or part of the new Sumatran Tiger exhibit.

Philadelphia Zoo (USA) has maintained Sloth Bears in their collection for a long time. They currently have Sloth Bears and Andean Bears at the zoo, but when I visited in 2010 I saw 4 species in Bear Country: Sloth, Andean, Asiatic Black and Polar.

They are not there any more, but I saw Sloth Bears in this exhibit at Montgomery Zoo (USA) in 2010:

What do people think of that bright blue paint? Sloth Bear exhibit at Zoo Boise (USA):

If you are an insect, reptile, amphibian, bird or primate at San Diego Zoo (USA), then you quite often are in a spectacular exhibit. It's an amazing zoo. But, truth be told, quite a number of the enclosures for large mammals are very poor, especially those old bear grottoes that must be approaching a century in age. Looking down on a pacing Sloth Bear last summer was not my finest experience at this legendary zoo.

The same could be said for this slightly better Sloth Bear exhibit at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (USA) in 2012:

The worst Sloth Bear exhibit I've ever seen was at Little Rock Zoo (USA) in 2012. A sleeping bear had a sea of mock-rock and cement surrounding it, although with a few woodchips as natural substrate. Very poor indeed.

Sunset Zoo (USA) had a steep chain-link yard for Sloth Bears that was full of undergrowth when I toured the zoo in 2012. It was arguably a fantastic exhibit for the animals.

The zoo advertised its new Sloth Bear exhibit as a modern, progressive enclosure, but I wonder what the bears think? It looks like a suburban front yard!

@MGolka

Seeing Sloth Bears, Small-clawed Otters and Corsac Foxes all interacting at Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) was a fantastic experience.

@KevinB

Berlin Zoo (Germany) has a green, spacious exhibit for Sloth Bears:

@ZooTripper365

I highlighted this next superb exhibit when I spoke of Golden Jackals. NaturZoo Rheine (Germany) had two Sloth Bears and 12 Jackals together when I was there in 2019. Fantastic!

Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) opened Kingdoms of Asia, a Pairi Daiza type themed Asian complex in 2023. I was impressed with the Sloth Bear/Small-clawed Otter exhibit.

Ursidae:

American Black Bears - 100 zoos
Brown Bears - 92 zoos
Polar Bears - 47 zoos
Andean Bears - 32 zoos
Sun Bears - 27 zoos
Sloth Bears - 22 zoos

Sloth bears are easily my favorite non-primate mammal! My hometown zoo, Capron Park Zoo, housed sloth bears for my entire life, up until earlier this year when the last individual left on a breeding rec to Smithsonian's National Zoo. I've only seen the species at one other facility, however (Philadelphia), and it's a species I wish I had more opportunities to see at a variety of different zoos.