Sloth Sanctuary - The Babies

The star of the show - Athena

I thought you would all like to see some piccies of the babies. Since we have been at the sanctuary 8 babies have been brought in (5 two toed and 3 three toed). Consequently 3 juveniles have graduated from the nightly move to the incubators (Stephanie, Mateo and Cosmo).

Alex is a three toed sloth who arrived at the sanctuary a few days ago. A local man brought him only 3 weeks after bringing in Jo Jo another three toed sloth.

Alex

Next is Apollo, a young toe toed sloth.

Apollo eating an almond leaf.

Athena is 5 months old and cute as a button. Everyone loves her to bits. She loves her walks as she likes to hold onto bamboo.

Athena in pooh position - when a sloth has a big belly it means they need to poo.

Beatrice is a two toed sloth. She is extremely nervous, especially of sudden noises, she grips really tight and it makes you wonder how she managed to fall off her mother.

Darren and Beatrice have a cuddle. Guess who's who...

Cosmo has good 'maternal instincts' for a male sloth. He looked after 3 other sloths for a short time (Apollo, Athena and Ella) before he got too big and graduated. He now resides with Stephanie and Mateo.

Cosmo up a tree; Mateo is the darker sloth on the jungle gym.

Dora is also nervous and likes to cling like a limpet.

The look of love...

At feeding time whoever finishes first gets a chance to steal from the slower sloths.

Ready - Wookie on his mark

Wookie getting a headstart

Steady - Dora and Wookie have the advantage

Carrots, beans and sweet potato - yummm

Go - Dora, Wookie and Alfie in a race for the finish

Notice Wookie eyeing up Alfie's dinner.

Ella is one of the younger sloths. She likes her walks but unfortunately within a couple of minutes she has a wee and a poo, afterwhich she needs weighing.

Dinner time for Ella - she's eating almond leaves

Jo Jo arrived at the sanctuary early October. He was being kept as a pet and was extremely stressed when he was brought in. Paul has been working with him and Jo Jo is now less stressed.

Look at me I'm scary and frightened.

Laylo and Wall-E share the same enclosure within the exhibition area. Laylo loves walks and so when no visitors are around Laylo and Wall-E go for walkies. At first Laylo was named Layla as he did not have the back markings of a male until he was 2 years old. Jo Jo is about 7 months old and already has male markings. For this reason many of the the baby sloths are given gender neutral names.

Paul with Laylo

Siobhan with Wall-E

 

Madison is another two toed sloth who also likes to go on forest walks.

Madison and Eva

Sammy and Sunshine share the same enclosure and have to be walked at the same time. You can read about their story on the sanctuary website. They are three toed sloths, Bradypus variegatus (or affectionately known as Brady's).

Sammy and Sunshine like to be together...

Shilo is very young, she arrived during our stay and she was estimated to be about 7-10 days old. The staff knew she was so young as she had the skin folds of a newborn.

Shilo about 12 days old.

Tiny Myte arrived during our stay. He is smaller than Athena. Just before we left the sanctuary, Tiny Myte was put in the same enclosure as Athena. Bradys are very sociable compared with the toe toed sloths. Also Cosmo, Apollo and Ella kept stealing Athena's Cecropia leaves.

Tiny Myte fits in your hand.

Next are Ubu and Pucca. Ubu is disabled and has physiotherapy every day to strengthen his leg muscles. His enclosure mate is Pucca, who arrived during our stay. Pucca is young but doing well so far.

Ubu (top) and Pucca (bottom) below bars...

Another baby arrived just a few days before we left the sanctuary, Cheyenne. Unfortunately Cheyenne is very sick and the staff don't know if he'll survive.

Here are some random pictures of some of the babies.

Cosmo and Mateo protecting their dinners.

Ubu post physio...

Xenia and Karol feeding Athena.