1-year-old sloth bear, Bowie, pictured, returns to the public sloth bear habitat in the Woodland Park Zoo’s Banyan Wilds after recovering from femur surgery. (Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo)

Bowie is back! The 1-year-old female sloth bear at Woodland Park Zoo has recovered from surgery to repair a fractured femur in her right thigh. 

After several weeks of close monitoring and recovery in a quiet, off-view den, Bowie has healed well and has returned to her habitat with her mom, Kushali (kuu-SHAW-lee). Zoo guests can now see Bowie back in Banyan Wilds.  

Bowie was born at Woodland Park Zoo to mom Kushali and dad Bhutan (boo-TAHN) on January 8, 2025, and was named in honor of David Bowie, with whom she shares the same birthday. 

Zoo guests can once again encounter Bowie and the other sloth bears in Banyan Wilds which is also home to Malayan tigers, Asian small-clawed otters and a tropical aviary. 

Sloth bears live in forests and grasslands in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Their shaggy, dusty, black coats deflect sunlight, protecting them from the extremes of tropical heat. A vulnerable species, sloth bears’ survival is challenged by conflicts with humans and habitat loss and fragmentation. 

Woodland Park Zoo partners with other zoos and conservation organizations in India and Sri Lanka to protect sloth bears and help communities coexist through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Sloth Bear SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program.