Dortmund Zoo
Baby sloth clings tightly to its mother – delighting visitors
The sloth baby in the Dortmund zoo clings tightly to the mother “witch”
© Zoo Dortmund
The baby sloth at Dortmund Zoo was born at the end of April. Now, for the first time, visitors can see it behind a glass wall. They’re excited. And as usual for a sloth child, the animal clings tightly to its mother.
A good two months after its birth, a baby sloth can now be seen in Dortmund Zoo. The cub was born at the end of April and still has no name, a city spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The sex has not yet been identified either, because the little one always clings tightly to its mother “witch” with its stomach side.
In order to give mother and child some time and peace, the zoo initially housed the two in an enclosure behind the scenes for the birth and the first few weeks of life.
Zoo Dortmund: Twelfth offspring for sloth “Witch”
Now the two can be admired by the visitors behind glass. The cub will probably remain clinging to the mother for another seven to eight months – as is usual for growing sloths. For “Hexe” it is her twelfth offspring, she behaves routinely. Father “Flori” is also with the two, which is not a matter of course. According to the zoo, sloths are usually solitary and only come together to mate. Hexe and Flori also get along well as parents.
There is a lot of excitement about the sloth baby on the internet. A photo of the mother and cub that Zoo Dortmund shared on Facebook received around 15,000 likes. The comments are exuberant and range from “super cute” to the best congratulations to “I’d like to hug them both”. So it’s good that “Witch” and her baby sloth delight visitors behind glass.