NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — A Massachusetts zoo has welcomed a baby sloth – a historic first for the 127-year-old facility.
According to The Standard-Times, Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford said a Hoffman’s two-toed sloth, Sandy, gave birth to the baby June 22. The unnamed newborn is the first child for the 12-year-old mother and 20-year-old father, Bernardo, the zoo said in a news release Tuesday.
“After waiting nearly 11.5 months, we can finally share this exciting news!” the zoo captioned two Instagram photos of its new arrival.
Six days after the birth, zoo veterinarian Dr. Erica Lipanovich examined the baby, which weighed 0.76 pounds, the release said. It will stay near its mother for about a year, according to the zoo.
“Since this is Sandy’s first birth, we wanted to give her plenty of space to bond with baby before we performed an examination,” Lipanovich said in a statement, adding that both Sandy and the newborn “are doing exceptionally well.”
Zoo staffers have not yet determined the baby’s sex, “which can be an incredibly tricky process in sloths,” the release added.