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WATCH: Rural Va. zoo gets rare sloth bears

Posted at 1:44 PM, Jul 17, 2013
and last updated 2013-07-17 13:44:48-04

SCOTT COUNTY, Va. (WCYB) -- A zoo in Scott County has two new, very unusual bears.

Creation Kingdom is now the only private zoo in the U.S. to have a pair of sloth bears. 

The zoo's director said sloth bears, native to Sri Lanka, are one of the most endangered species of bears in the world.

The animals have long white claws and their babies ride on the mother's back. Additionally, the bears also do not have any front teeth, but roll their tongues to suck termites out of the ground.

When the animals were first discovered, people thought they were sloths.