Rare baby sloth born at Dudley Zoo

Dudley Zoo has welcomed its first-ever rare Linne’s two-toed baby sloth.

Keepers were surprised when they spotted that Mum Flo had given birth to the youngster as they delivered the sloths their supper last week (4 April).

“With all our new arrivals over the last few months, this is certainly turning into a year of firsts for Dudley Zoo and Castle, as it’s our first baby sloth in our 85-year history", says Zoo Curator Richard Brown.

The new arrival is said to be "healthy and alert as it snuggles up to mum", who keepers say is taking motherhood in her (slow) stride.

Flo, 3, arrived at the zoo in August 2020 to join Reggie, 6, as part of a breeding programme.

“We’re so thrilled to announce the safe arrival of a baby sloth to Flo and Reggie," adds Richard.

Are sloths endangered?

Two of the six species of sloths rate high on the IUCN Red List of endangered animals.

The pygmy three-toed sloth is "Critically Endangered" and the maned three-toed sloth is considered "Vulnerable."

The new baby's species, Linne’s two-toed sloths, are native to the tropical forests of northern Southern America and they are listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.

However, they are decreasing in number as not only are they losing their habitat, but they’re also vulnerable to predators.

“Unlike other species, it was difficult to guess if Flo was pregnant", explains Richard.

"Gestation is typically around six months long, but over recent weeks keepers began to notice movements in Flo’s stomach and we managed to confirm the pregnancy with a faecal sample"

“It was a lovely surprise for staff to discover the baby, especially as Flo wasn’t showing signs of being in labour during the day", he adds.

It's unclear yet if the newborn is a male or female, but keepers say they are already thinking of names.