Animal keepers at the National Zoo in Washington DC have saved a tiny sloth bear cub after her two siblings were devoured by their mother.
The three cubs were born December 29 to Khali the sloth bear. One was eaten within 20 minutes, and a second cub followed him seven days later.
The zoo says it's not uncommon for carnivores to eat their young if they're compromised somehow or seem unlikely to survive because the scent of a carcass could attract predators in the wild.
It's a girl: This unnamed baby sloth bear is being raised by animal keepers at the National Zoo after being neglected by her mother
Zookeeprs say the cub sometimes wakes up crying because she had a bad dream
Sweet dreams: This two-and-a-half month old baby sloth spent several days in an incubator because she was hypothermic
When the third cub was left alone, animal keepers fearing for her life decided to take the cub and rear her by hand.
The zoo says the surviving cub is now active and growing. Animal keepers are caring for her 24 hours a day as surrogate parents.
They carry the furry youngster in a sling and provide regular bottle feedings.
The zoo hopes to eventually return her to her mother, or reintroduce her to other sloth bears.
Khali has successfully raised two cubs born in 2004, but when she consumed two of her three babies between December 29 and January 6, zookeepers knew that something was amiss.
‘Our team is always prepared to intervene and hand-rear a cub if it appears that a cub is not thriving,’ said Tony Barthel, curator of Asia Trail, in a zoo press release. ‘We already had developed a plan for hand-rearing before Khali gave birth, and our ability to act quickly was critical.’
Carnivore: Khali the sloth bear ate two of her three cubs born on December 29, likely because they were sickly and weak
Helpless: The remaining baby, a weak, underweight little tyke, was plucked from Khali's den and taken to the veterinary clinic for treatment
Proud mama: The little tyke's human surrogates carry her around and cuddle with her as if she were a human infant
Fearing for the life of the remaining cub, on the morning of January 6 staffers removed her from the sloth enclosure and took her to the veterinary hospital.
The baby sloth bear was sickly and weighing only 1lb. She was diagnosed with hypothermia and also likely had an infection.
Veterinarian treated the critter with antibiotics and vitamins, and gave her fluids. She was then placed in an incubator to increase her body temperature.
For the next several days, animal keepers bottle-fed the wee sloth eight times a day until she was healthy enough to be returned to the sloth habitat.
After the tiny animal opened her eyes for the first time on January 26, her human surrogates started spending more time with her, cradling the sloth in a sling as they went about their day to simulate how a mother sloth bear carries her young on her back.
Going for a walk: Zookeepers carry their adopted baby in a sling to simulate how a mother carries her young on her back
Growing strong: The once ailing one-pound baby has grown into a healthy 11-pound toddler
‘It is always preferable for cubs to be raised by their mothers, but that was not possible this time,” said keeper and sloth bear expert Mindy Babitz. ‘We had to become this cub’s “mothers.”
‘We are caring for her needs around the clock—not just physical, but social, cognitive and emotional needs; it’s very encouraging to watch her develop and grow.'
The once sickly, emaciated, hairless tyke has blossomed into a curious 11-pound fuzzball under the watchful eyes of her human ‘moms’ and ‘dads.’
In the next few weeks, animal keepers will allow the unnamed cub to walk around the indoor dens of the adult sloth bears.
Family reunion: In a few months, the zoo staff plan to reintroduce her to other sloth bears, possibly even her mother
If things go well, the youngster will be reunited with her mother – at first through a mesh barrier and then muzzle-to-muzzle - or will be allowed to join her father, Francois.
At the peak of maturity, the female sloth bear will have shaggy, dusty-black fur, weigh around 120lbs and boast a set of curved claws to dig up ants and terminates - the animals’ favorite treats.
The sloth bear has a vulnerable status, with only about 10.000 remaining in the wild - down from 20,000 eight years ago, the Washington Post reported.
The animals are often poached for their valuable bile, which is used in traditional Asian medicine.
There are only 47 sloth bears currently living in North American zoos, five of them in DC. Khali is only the second sloth bear to deliver a litter of three cubs in the region.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2586368/National-Zoos-sloth-bear-baby-taken-away-raised-human-surrogates-ATE-two.html#ixzz2wj6y9ZMm
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