Two sloth bear cubs born at Indore zoo

Two bear cubs were born at Indore zoo, bringing the total captive sloth bear tally to five. "The female gave birth to the cubs around 11:30pm. The gender has not been identified," said veterinarian and zoo in-charge Dr Utam Yadav.

Two bear cubs were born at the Indore zoo late on Monday evening, bringing the total captive sloth bear tally to five. "The female gave birth to the cubs around 11:30pm. The gender has not been identified," said veterinarian and zoo in-charge Dr Utam Yadav.

The zoo now has three adult sloth bears — one male and two females — in addition to the cubs, he added. Indore zoo had recently gotten a sloth bear from Bilaspur in return for a porcupine under the Central Zoo Authority's animal exchange programme.

Zoo officials are hoping that the exchange will prove more productive in terms of an increase in the sloth bear. Apart from the sloth bears, the zoo also has two Himalayan black bears, said Dr Yadav.