Woodland Park Zoo has welcomed a new resident to its Tropical Rain Forest: Jessie, a 26-year-old female Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth who will join the zoo’s male s
Woodland Park Zoo has welcomed a new resident to its Tropical Rain Forest: Jessie, a 26-year-old female Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth who will join the zoo’s male sloth, Fezzik.
Jessie was born Sept. 10, 1999, at the Philadelphia Zoo and has had three offspring. Fezzik, 11, arrived at Woodland Park Zoo last year.
The two sloths were paired under a breeding recommendation through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan and will live together in their habitat.
They are being introduced gradually, and zoo officials said only one sloth may be visible at a time in the short term as they become accustomed to each other.
“We’re thrilled to have a second sloth, Jessie, join Fezzik here at Woodland Park Zoo,” said Arden Robert, animal care manager at Woodland Park Zoo. “Jessie and Fezzik offer visitors a unique chance to observe the calm, fascinating behaviors that make sloths so beloved.”
Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths, Choloepus hoffmanni, are nocturnal mammals found in Central and South America.
The species is named for the two long, curved claws on each front foot. The tree-dwelling animals spend much of their time resting, climbing and eating leaves, fruit and flowers in the forest canopy.
Sloths are generally known for their gentle dispositions and slow movements.
Visitors can see Jessie and Fezzik in Woodland Park Zoo’s Tropical Rain Forest, where the sloths share their habitat with the zoo’s golden lion tamarins
