Baby sloth bears getting big

Some new additions at the Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls are getting big.

The two baby sloth bears – one male, one female – were born Nov. 29, weighing a pound each.

Now they’re up to 10 pounds and certainly not living up to their name. They are fast movers and full of life. Their favorite snack is peanut butter.

Their births were rare. Only 14 zoos in the U.S. have sloth bears, and of those, three have breeding pairs.

“There’s only 34 sloth bears in zoos in North America. so our two cubs alone just increased the population by 5 percent,” said Beth Rich, zoo superintendent.

The zoo hopes to have the sloth cubs on exhibit opening day on April 13.

There will be a contest for the public to decide on the names for the two cubs.