Baby sloth born while on exhibit at Como Park Zoo dies
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A baby sloth born less than a month ago at the Como Park Zoo in St. Paul died this week. The zoo announced the baby sloth’s death in a Facebook post on Friday.
“In the world of animal care, there are incredible highs and heartbreaking lows — and this week, we’ve experienced both,” the post said. “This loss has touched our entire team. A necropsy will help us better understand the cause, and until then, we are focused on supporting one another and the animals in our care.”
The sloth's mother, a 6-year-old named Sago, gave birth April 2 while on exhibit.
The zoo said the baby sloth was found unresponsive in its habitat earlier this week. Zoo officials believe it died overnight on Sunday night or Monday morning.
The zoo said this week also brought some good news from the zoo’s primate building: the birth of a baby Emperor tamarin.
“Bleu is the first offspring of mom Ilsamar and dad Reggiano, and all are doing well in their habitat. Emperor tamarins are remarkable parents — the father plays a big role in raising the young, carrying the baby on his back for the first several weeks,” the Facebook post said.
Bleu and the tamarin family will be on exhibit in the primate building.
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