Sloth bears are shaggy, insectivorous bears native to the Indian subcontinent. Their welfare in zoos requires extensive foraging enrichment, appropriate social management, and freedom from the dancing bear tradition that historically exploited them.
Sloth bear welfare is shaped by their history — the dancing bear trade caused immense individual suffering through nose-piercing, food deprivation used in training, and a lifetime of forced performance. Rescued dancing bears carry physical and psychological trauma requiring long-term rehabilitation. In zoo settings, sloth bear welfare requires extensive foraging enrichment that replicates the hours wild sloth bears spend extracting insects — hollow logs, buried food caches, and platforms requiring physical work to access. Social management must respect that sloth bears are largely solitary except for mothers with cubs; forced co-housing causes aggression. Their insectivorous diet requires considerable dietary management to ensure adequate nutrition without relying on termite colonies.