Lincoln Zoo welcomes first female Indian sloth bear in decades

06/11/2025 2 Views

Eleanor MaslinEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Zara is the first female Indian sloth bear in the UK for more than 40 years, according to Lincoln Zoo

Bill Mead A fluffy black sloth bear with a grey part near its nose and small eyes is walking through long grass and looking directly at the camera. — Zara is the first female Indian sloth bear in the UK for more than 40 years, according to Lincoln Zoo

A zoo says it is now home to the only female Indian sloth bear in the UK.

Lincoln Zoo, in Newball, Lincolnshire, welcomed seven-year-old Zara at the end of October after 18 months of planning for her arrival from Singapore Zoo.

She will now form a breeding pair with Randhir, Lincoln Zoo’s five-year-old male sloth bear, as part of the European Endangered Species Programme.

Zoo director Neil Mumby said: “We jumped at the option because there hasn’t been a female Indian sloth bear in the UK for over 40 years.”

Sloth bears have long claws and teeth and are found in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal.

They are the world’s deadliest bear and widely considered among the most aggressive animals on the Indian subcontinent.

They are known to charge explosively at anyone they consider a threat – not just tigers, but also, humans.

They have been classed as a vulnerable species with a declining population, with global numbers of the bears estimated at fewer than 20,000.

Zara is a new resident at Lincoln Zoo after she was flown across from Singapore

Bill Mead A black sloth bear with long claws is laying in tall grass and holding a wooden pole in its paws with its nose touching the end of it. — Zara is a new resident at Lincoln Zoo after she was flown across from Singapore

Zara was flown from Singapore to Istanbul before a transfer flight to London Heathrow – a total of 16 hours in the sky.

She arrived at Lincoln Zoo on 25 October and has locked eyes with Randhir from their enclosures, but the pair are yet to be formally introduced.

Speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Mr Mumby said: “At the moment she’s quite happy, it’s a fully heated house. She’s out and about and is acclimatising well.”

Zara is “acclimatising well” to her new home in Lincoln, the zoo says

Bill Mead A black sloth bear is leaning on three large black tyres in an enclosure. Her mouth is slightly open as she peers over the tyres with her front paws holding her up. — Zara is “acclimatising well” to her new home in Lincoln, the zoo says

Mr Mumby said that Randhir came to the zoo earlier in the year from Germany and was matched with Zara by a European co-ordinator to create a “new bloodline from Asia”.

“It’s a bit like a dating game,” he joked.

Charlie Mumby, general manager at the zoo, said: “To finally welcome Zara and to play a direct role in the conservation of such a unique and underrepresented species is a huge privilege for our whole team.”

Local representatives including Sir Edward Leigh, the Conservative MP for Gainsborough, helped to make Zara’s move possible by supporting amendments to the health certification requirements.

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