There is a new baby sloth at Norristown’s Elmwood Park Zoo
The two-toed sloth Beanie and her baby are welcoming visitors at the Norristown zoo beginning Wednesday.
The high costs of daycare and baby formula have not dissuaded one local two-toed sloth.
Beanie the sloth is welcoming visitors to come see her newborn at the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, beginning Wednesday, the zoo announced.
Beanie’s baby, which has yet to be given its own name, was born Aug. 26. The zoo’s veterinary team won’t be able to confirm the baby’s gender with a thorough exam until it is around 1 year old, since infant sloths cling so closely to their mothers.
But the veterinarians have been able to evaluate the baby’s health and weigh it by attaching it to a stuffed, pink plush surrogate mother in the meantime.
“Beanie is a fantastic mom, and the baby is thriving — eating well, clinging closely, and hitting all the right early milestones. We’re excited for guests to see those quiet, up-close moments that make sloths so special,” Michele Goodman, director of animal care at Elmwood Park Zoo, said in a statement.
Beanie, 4 years old, came to Elmwood Park in March, midway through her pregnancy, from the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, R.I., as part of a species survival plan.
Two-toed sloths, which are found in rainforests throughout Central and South America, have a stable population but are frequently hunted. Their habitats are also threatened by logging.
When fully grown, the slow-moving mammals typically weigh 9 to 17 pounds. They are nocturnal, sleeping for about 15 hours per day, often upside-down. A two-toed sloth’s metabolic rate is so slow that food remains in their digestive track for roughly a month.
Elmwood Park Zoo, located at 1661 Harding Blvd. in Norristown, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Beanie and her baby are located within the zoo’s Harmony Hideaway.