Bears, blooms, and a sky-high spin at the Philadelphia Zoo
34th & GIRARD (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia Zoo's new Francis J. Carey Bear Country is home to three rare bears.
Turbo and Alba are Andean bears (think Paddington Bear) who come to Philadelphia from the San Diego Zoo. The bears are native to South America and known for climbing.
There's also a sloth bear named Bhalu! Sloth bears are native to India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
They are designed to hunt insects and are missing a couple of front teeth so they can slurp up bugs. Their distinctive claws allow them to dig in termite mounds.
Their new $25 million state-of-the-art home is a naturalistic habitat that replicates what you would see in the wild, while keeping the bears safe from the challenges of the real world.
Both bear species are threatened by extinction in the wild and it's hoped that baby cubs will be coming to Philadelphia Zoo soon.
Philadelphia Zoo is America's first zoo and to celebrate America's 250th, the zoo has some special Zootopiaries.
There's a Bald Eagle, a bear topiary to celebrate the new Bear Country and a 7-foot tall tortoise, a nod to the zoo's Galapagos tortoise, Mommy, who made world news last year when she became a first-time mom at the estimated age of 97.
The intricate designs use 8,800 plants and highlight the zoo's founding mission as a zoological garden, where people could see animals in a garden setting.
Hop on the zoo's first ever Ferris wheel (spelled Pherris to give it some Philly flair!), and you can take in the lush 42-acres from 110 feet up in the sky.
There are 24 gondolas offering spectacular views of the city skyline, the Schuylkill River and the Philadelphia Museum of Art throughout this semi-quincentennial year.
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3400 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa 19104
