Sloth bear mating occurs in May, June and July, with pairs forming only for one or two days. Gestation is six to seven months long and a female can produce up to three cubs, although one or two are more common. They are born in earthen dens and stay inside till two or three months old. The cubs will stay with their mother for two or three years. Mother bears are known to carry their young on their backs, the cubs using the long shaggy fur on their mother's back to hold on to.
Sloth bears face severe habitat loss and heavy poaching mainly for the medicinal market.
Natural predators such as wild dogs, tigers and leopards also take a toll on juveniles. The CBSG has recommended that North American zoos take the lead in an international studbook. This is currently being petitioned for the two subspecies. It is the recommendation of the AZA Bear Advisory Group that they be managed in the United States as one group due to the rapid and continued genetic and demographic deterioration of the captive population. Research programs currently under way in zoos include reproductive fecal steroid work being done at the Woodland Park Zoo.