Are you ready for the cutest thing you’ll see today? Drusillas Zoo Park in Alfriston has announced the safe and healthy arrival of this beautiful baby sloth – whose surprise arrival has delighted their team of keepers.
On November 29, resident sloth female Halina had a brand new addition to her clan, which came to the delight and surprise of the keepers.
Zoo Animal Manager, Mark Kenward, said, ‘We are always prepared for the birth of new infants as we know this can happen at any time. Gemma and I remained at the zoo late into the night to make sure everything was moving in the right direction, with this being Halina’s first born.
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‘While baby and mum looked very healthy, the baby on occasion got a little confused and would climb onto dad Sophocles, remaining attached to him for a number of hours.’
Male sloths don’t usually take to infants or help with the rearing of the young, but dad sloth Sophocles was ready to get stuck in. ‘He was amazing and accepted the baby happily, giving Halina the chance to rest – but we did need to get the baby back to Halina to begin feeding!’
Sloths are notoriously difficult to predict pregnancy in due to the lifestyle they lead, remaining inactive for the majority of the day. They also famously spend most of their time curled up in a big, hairy ball. They also don’t always present a big, pregnant abdomen as with most mammal species, as they have 47 ribs that encase their bodies.
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Head Keeper Gemma Romanis added: ‘The baby seems to be thriving under the careful watch of our keepers, and is doing everything she should be at this stage. Halina is being wonderfully attentive, and considering this is her first baby, it seems to have all come very naturally to her.’
With the new arrival, Drusillas now boasts five Linne’s two-toed sloths in their collection, including six-year-old Flash who was hand-reared by the Park’s resident sloth specialists, Mark Kenward and Gemma Romanis.
The sweet youngster is already becoming a highlight for visitors lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her peacefully snuggled into mum, in one of the Zoos walkthrough enclosures. Why not gather the family for a day at Drusillas Park and see if you can spot the adorable new addition yourself? drusillas.co.uk
As part of their commitment to conservation, in particular the conservation of sloths in the wild, Drusillas proudly supports The Sloth Conservation Foundation and ask visitors to support their mission in any way they can. slothconservation.org
