ATLANTA – Zoo Atlanta has a new resident – a baby sloth.
Bonnie, the zoo’s 18-year-old Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth, gave birth on Nov. 4, zoo officials said in a Facebook post. The newborn is Bonnie’s second child with 25-year-old male, Cocoa. The newborn is doing well and bonding with its mother in the sloth’s behind-the-scenes indoor area.
Bonnie, Cocoa and the infant share their home with another adult female, 24-year-old Okra Mae. Sloths are not social creatures and the males do not play a role in raising offspring, officials said.
The baby sloth has not been named yet and there is no word on when they will be up for public viewing.
According to Zoo Atlanta, Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths are not currently classified as endangered, but wild populations are at risk of habitat destruction due to human encroachment and pet trading.
While sloths are famous for being slow-moving creatures, baby sloths grow at a fast rate. Their gestation period lasts up to 12 months, and they are born with all their fur, with fully developed claws and teeth. Their eyes are open at birth and infants can start eating solid food within two weeks of birth.
Baby sloths stay close to their mothers for about a year after birth.
The Hoffmann two-toed slots are indigenous to Central and South America.
Lynn Yakubinis, a lead zookeeper at Zoo Atlanta, said Atlanta is an active member of the worldwide community to preserve the sloth population and help sustain them for future generations.
Zoo Atlanta said on Facebook it would alert sloth fans as soon as the baby is ready for public viewing.
