We are happy to welcome Scruffy, a new Malayan sun bear from Ohio to the Honolulu Zoo! Scruffy, a female sun bear, was born in the wild in Malaysia and transported to Honolulu from the Cleveland Zoo. She is estimated to be around 30 years old. Scruffy joins our male sun bear, Blackie, who she was previously housed with at the Cleveland Zoo prior to him coming to the Honolulu Zoo in November of 2008.
“We are very excited to reintroduce Scruffy to her old friend, Blackie,” said Honolulu Zoo Director Linda Santos. “It was a touching reunion as Scruffy and Blackie immediately greeted each other through the gate when Scruffy arrived. Scruffy has completed her quarantine period and zoo staff can now work on integrating her to share the habitat with Blackie.”
Due to their ages, Scruffy and Blackie have not been identified as a breeding pair but rather as great companions.
Sun bears are found in the tropical forest habitats of Southeast Asia. They are usually jet black with light-colored muzzles and cream-colored, sickle-shaped claws. Sun bear adults, on average, weigh less than 200 pounds and are the smallest of the bear species. They are omnivores and use their exceptionally long tongue to feed on insects, honey, and fruits. The tropical regions where they are found provide sun bears with year-round availability of food, so they do not hibernate. Sun bears are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with a global population decline primarily due to large-scale deforestation throughout Southeast Asia over the past three decades.
Come visit with Scruffy and Blackie at their exhibit next to the Kamehameha and Koa butterfly murals.
Original source can be found here.
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