Chaska, a 5 year old female Andean bear at the Salisbury Zoo, gave birth to a healthy bear cub on January 23, 2015. Zoo Director, Ralph Piland, said that the last time a bear cub was born at the Salisbury Zoo was in the early 80’s.
After the baby cub was born, the public area around the bear exhibit had been closed off in order to keep the noise down for mama bear and her cub. Zookeeper Caleb Oliver says that Andean bears are very protective. “They basically seclude themselves in the den for several months while the baby is still vulnerable and they can feel threatened very easily. So we want to minimize things that she would see as a potential threat.”
WBOC reporter, Brittany Cooper, covered a story on the bear cub after it was born.
Oliver says until an examination is done, they do not know if the cub is male or female, so they have not chosen a name yet. Officials said it is estimated that there are only 2,000 Andean bears left in the wild. They are the only bear found in South America and live in the Andes Mountains region.
The public area is now back open for your chance to see the new cub. However, Ralph said that seeing the cub is a hit or miss. As you see in the video, the Salisbury Zoo captured Chaska bringing her cub out of the den. Ralph says Chaska brings the cub out sporadically, but over the next few weeks, it will happen more often. So, as the weather warms up and you decide to take a trip to the Salisbury Zoo, keep your eyes open and try to catch a glimpse of the new bear cub.
The Salisbury Zoo is open 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily and are closed on Christmas and Thanksgiving Day. The zoo is free of charge, but donations are greatly appreciated.
