Folly Farm welcomes Nova the sloth with hopes of creating nursery

  • ITV Wales' Sion Jenkins went to visit "Nova" the sloth in Folly Farm

Folly Farm in west Wales have welcomed a new sloth called "Nova" in the hopes of he'll be a 'Casanova' and create a sloth nursery.

Natasha Love, one of the zookeepers at Folly Farm said one day Nova and his new partner, Button, will have baby sloths.

She said: "One of our keepers picked him up couple of weeks ago now from Hamerton Zoo.

"Basically, the reason that we have him is because we also have another young sloth, Button who is female and we're part of the European breeding scheme.

"So, the idea is to get them together and hopefully, fingers crossed, one day they will have baby sloths."

Nova the sloth enjoying his carrot at Folly Farm Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

When asked how is Nova settling in so far, Natasha, said: "He's done really well. He's quite a curious sloth.

"He's only over 2 years old. He was born in November 2021. It's very different for him because he's with another sloth and he's only been with his mother.

"So, it's been a bit of an adjustment. But he's doing really well. He's taking carrots and having new experiences. He's lovely."

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Sloths are regarded as one of the slowest and laziest animals in the world and Nova and Button are expected to take a similar laidback attitude to having cubs.

Natasha added: "It will take a while. I think part of that is that they are slow and they sleep quite a lot. Also, they are not the most sociable species, they are solitary.

  • Natasha Love, one of the zookeepers at Folly Farm said "people don't understand the risk involved with sloths"

"We might have to wait for a couple of years, until they start showing signs of being interested in one another.

"At the moment they have been quite separate. They have not had any fights or spats or anything so, in a couple of years hopefully we can start to think about a nursery for them."

Speaking about the importance of European mating programmes, Natasha said: "A lot of people don't quite understand the risks involved with sloths and they are declining in their habitat.

Two-year-old Nova is settling into his new home well. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

"The fact that the impact that humans are having on them. So, with this we can draw people in and also educate them at the same time.

"Although sloths are not critically endangered, it doesn't mean they aren't in the risk of coming in that category due to deforestation."

"They are really popular and we do also have our elderly sloths. We still have them and they are in their retirement home and now we have four sloths.

"So, both of them get a lot of attention as well and they are living their best life in their final years. But we do get absolutely packed here."

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