Fota Wildlife Park has unveiled a new Linné’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) who was born on the 12th of April last to mother Talyta and father Matheo.
The baby sloth’s arrival follows the successful birth of Rowan, the first-ever sloth born at Fota Wildlife Park in the Spring of 2022.
Rowan has since been transferred to Banham Zoo in the UK as part of a breeding programme.
The sloths are free-ranging within the Tropical House at Fota Wildlife Park, one of the many public indoor spaces at the 100 acre Park
Lead Ranger, Julien Fonteneau said they are delighted with the new arrival whose gender is not yet known.
“This is only the second sloth to be born at Fota. Sloths are a relatively new addition to the Park and we’ve spent a lot of time and resources ensuring the Tropical House habitat is as naturalistic as possible for them.
"The Tropical House features lots of sturdy branches and foliage and yet offers a route back inside a secure house or nesting box should they seek out a quieter area.
"Sloths are nocturnal however, so while it is possible to catch a glimpse of Mum and the new baby, they spend up to 15 to 20 hours a day asleep and lead their lives from an upside-down position high among the branches.”
Mr Fonteneau said that the Tropical House is one of the many great indoor areas they offer to visitors.
“Even though it’s summer, there still can be a passing shower and the indoor Giraffe Viewing area, the Tropical House and the Madagascan Village help shelter from the elements while offering an excellent opportunity for our guests to learn more about biodiversity and the importance of wildlife conservation.”
Matheo, the first sloth to arrive at Fota, was born in 2017 in Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart, Germany. He was sent to Fota Wildlife Park in 2019. Talyta, born in 2017, came to the park from the Papiliorama Swiss Tropical Gardens in late 2020. The pair successfully mated to give birth to a female called Rowan in
2022.
Sloths are native to South America and are the only mammals whose hair grows in the opposite direction of other mammals. To suit their unique lifestyle, their hair parts in the middle of the belly and grows upward toward the back. On their faces, the hair points upward, enabling rainwater to run off during storms.
