DETROIT (CBS Detroit) – The Detroit Zoo hopes that arriving visitors will take a moment to welcome their facility’s newest resident, a 3-year-old sloth bear.
The zoo shared photos of the sloth bear, named Jagger, on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon, after using the platform to tease that they were preparing to welcome the species back after an absence.
They called Jagger the “first of her kind at the Detroit Zoo in decades” and said she would spend the next few days acclimating behind the scenes before heading out “in the coming week.”
According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, it is estimated that there are only about 20,000 sloth bears in the world. The International Union for Conservation of Nature rates them as “vulnerable” on their endangered species list.
They are generally found in the areas of India, Sri Lanka and southern Nepal, the Smithsonian says.
The Detroit Zoo used Jagger’s arrival to ask for donations that they said could “have a direct impact on Jagger’s life as she settles into her new habitat,” adding items like a rocking chair, a food ball and more that will improve her new habitat and promote her well-being. -through interactive play.” The zoo promoted a match of up to $5,000 from the Jeffrey Farber Family Foundation.
Although they are different species, Jagger’s arrival could help animal lovers cope with the loss earlier this year of Mike the grizzly bear. who was euthanized after months of health complications this summer.
