The Cincinnati Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the United States and houses a variety of animals while implementing numerous nature conservation programs. In recent years, the zoo has partnered with The Sloth Institute of Costa Rica.
Among the animals cared for by the zoo are several two-toed sloths, which are currently considered a safe species. However, they face numerous threats in the wild. In February 2021, the zoo announced an exciting development: Lightning, an eight-year-old female sloth, became pregnant. Her partner, Moe, is a 21-year-old sloth who was born in the wild and later orphaned. Moe has been living in Cincinnati since 2006 but has not successfully bred until now. Lightning arrived at the zoo in 2019 based on recommendations from specialists, and the genetic compatibility between the pair was ideal.
Sloths eat, sleep, mate, and even give birth while suspended from tree branches. When a sloth baby is born, it immediately clings to its mother’s fur, crawls to her breast, and exclusively feeds on milk for the first ten days. Afterward, it begins to sample solid food but continues to cling to the mother’s shaggy belly for about a month, combining solid food with milk.
At around 25 days old, the sloth baby will venture out on its own and hang from a branch. To prepare Lightning for impending motherhood, she was given a soft toy sloth that she embraces as if it were her own cub. Caretakers occasionally take the toy away and return it to help Lightning get accustomed to brief separations from her baby, which will also be necessary for medical examinations.
