HONOLULU — On Tuesday, Honolulu Zoo welcomed a 30-year-old, approximately 73-pound, female Malayan sun bear to her new environs from the Cleveland Zoo. Scruffy joins the resident male sun bear, Blackie, who was housed with Scruffy at the Cleveland Zoo for a period of time. Blackie arrived at Honolulu Zoo on Nov. 6, 2008.

Because of their ages, Scruffy and Blackie are not identified as a breeding pair.

“We are very excited to reintroduce Scruffy to her old friend, Blackie,” said Honolulu Zoo Director Linda Santos in a news release. “It was a touching reunion as Scruffy and Blackie immediately greeted each other through the gate when Scruffy arrived. Scruffy has completed her quarantine period and zoo staff can now work on integrating her to share the habitat with Blackie.”

Listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, sun bears are found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. They are usually jet black with light-colored muzzles and cream-colored, sickle-shaped claws. On average, sun bear adults weigh less than 200 pounds and are the smallest of the bear species. These omnivores use their exceptionally long tongues to feed on insects, honey and fruits, and because of food availability year-round, they do not hibernate. Over the past three decades, the global population of sun bears has declined primarily because of large-scale deforestation.

Zoo visitors can find Scruffy and Blackie setting up shop at the base of Diamond Head next to the Kamehameha and Koa butterfly art wall/photo op in the Ectotherm Complex.

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.