Please join us in giving a warm Texas welcome to Vicki, a 12-year-old sloth bear visiting us from the Smithsonian National Zoo! 🐾 She’ll be calling Abilene Zoo home as a temporary resident until we break ground on our expansion next spring. She’s known to be sassy, smart and inquisitive. She’s got poufy hair with a part in the middle. Some of her favorite hobbies include playing with her enrichment toys and eating thousands of insects in one sitting.

Native to the forests of India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, sloth bears are one of the most unique bear species. Known for their shaggy fur, curved claws, and vacuum-like lips, sloth bears like Vicki are insect specialists, consuming up to 500,000 ants and termites a day, playing a key role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. With only about 30 sloth bears in North America’s managed population and an estimated under 20,000 left in the wild, these vulnerable animals are part of critical conservation efforts through the AZA’s Species Survival Plan.

Fun Fact: Baloo from the Jungle Book is a sloth bear! We’re honored to care for her during this special time and we can`t wait for you to meet her. Come by and visit her during our summer hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. ...