It has happened again! Our sloths have become parent to a new little baby. The baby arrived three days ago and is doing just great. Animal keeper trainee Karina Rauff says: “The baby was first seen Saturday at 2pm. The mother was still cleaning herself, and the most amazing thing was that you could still see the placenta hanging out from her”.
This is the first time that we have actually seen a completely newborn sloth baby here in Randers Regnskov. The sloths live their own lives in the canopies, so it is not uncommon for us not to see the baby before a few days after the actual birth. But this time we were very lucky. The newborn sloth is about 15 cm long and is currently clinging tightly to its mother’s long fur.
With this new addition to the family, we now have 5 sloths that are roaming freely in the South American dome. If you want to see the baby, you have to look for a greyish brown lump of fur with an even smaller lump of fur on her belly. However, due to their very efficient camouflage it takes a great deal of patience and sharp eye sight to spot the sloths. Remember, though, that you are more than welcome to ask one of our guides for assistance – they know where to look for the sloths, and they always have lots of amazing stories about them. Did you, for instance, know that they only go to the toilet once a week? Or that they turn green when they get older?
A mother with her baby. The photo is taken from the last time our sloths became parents.
It takes a sharp eye sight to spot the sloths in the canopies.
