With the construction of a bear exhibit at the Tautphaus Park Zoo, the two sloth bears that arrived last fall from the Little Rock Zoo have had to settle into their temporary home in the Tautphaus Park Zoo's CHC Foundation Animal Health Care Center, which they've done very well. 

"They've done exceptionally well" says Zoo Superintendent Bill Gersonde. "They're responding to their keepers and eating, drinking and sleeping just like they should", says Gersonde. 

Native to India and Sri Lanka, sloth bears inhabit a variety of environments including scrubland and forests.  Their diet in the wild includes a large number of insects, mainly termites, which the collect by sucking them out of the termite mounds. "They're very unique animals and much different then our native black bears", says Gersonde. 

Construction of the bear exhibit is on schedule.  The holding building, which includes night quarters for the bears, will be completed within the next month.  The contractor should have the outdoor enclosure finished by early April.  Zoo staff will then add the finishing touches including a pool, natural log play structures and landscaping.  The exhibit is scheduled to open to the public on May 29th.

"Due to increased construction costs we still need to raise about $50,000 to finish up the exhibit", says Gersonde.  "The community has been very generous and I'm sure we'll be able to finish up this fundraising campaign by the end of summer", says Gersonde.  Over $250,000 has been raised to date.  The exhibit is being completely funded by donations to the zoo.  Anyone interested in contributing to the Bring Back the Bears campaign can visit the zoo website    www.idahofallszoo.org or call the zoo office at 612-8419 for more information.  Born in December of 2006, these brothers will be the first bears on exhibit at the zoo in almost 20 years.