Infant Sloth (2025-2025)
Obituary
An infant sloth has died at the Como Park Zoo in St. Paul, MN, less than a month after birth.
An unnamed baby sloth died in April 2025, less than a month after being born at the Como Zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota. The sloth was born to father Ziggy and mother Sago while Sago was being exhibited. The baby was found dead in their enclosure a few weeks later.
Two-toed sloths live in the canopies of Central and South American rainforests. They are among the slowest mammals in the world. They so seldom move that algae grow on their coats. They spend most of their time sleeping, 15 to 20 hours a day. Sloths are often solitary, but baby sloths stay on their mother’s chest for six months and in their mother’s care for a year.
Sloths are among the most exploited animals by zoos and the tourism industry. Visitors are attracted to their cuddly fur and seemingly gentle demeanor. They are frequently used in “encounters” where people pay to take selfies or interact with them. But these interactions are stressful and very frightening for sloths. They can also be dangerous for humans. Multiple children have been bitten by sloths during encounters.
Sloths forced to interact with humans are more vigilant, sleep less, and behave abnormally. Sloths are also nocturnal. At noisy zoos, sloths do not receive the solitude and peace they need to thrive. World Animal Protection urges everyone who loves sloths to avoid zoos and enjoy them in the wild or at sanctuaries.
