SALISBURY, Md.- The Salisbury Zoo has welcomed two new members to its "slow moving" family.
The zoo welcomed two new sloths at the end of July. Zoo keepers say they suspected one, or two of the zoo's female sloths may have been pregnant.
Unsure when they would give birth, zookeepers kept a close eye on the two. Eight-year-old Buttercup, had successfully given birth two times in the past two years, but 6-year-old Mia had not.
To zoo keeper Hannah’s surprise, at the end of July, she noticed two newly born baby sloths, one on Buttercup and one on Mia.
Buttercup birthed a female sloth, and Mia birthed a male.
Since their birth, the zoo says it has been monitoring their health and weight, to make sure they are nursing properly.
Both mothers and babies have access to the indoor and outdoor, a few lucky visitors have seen the babies clinging to their mother outside, the zoo said.
Because they are nocturnal, they spend much of the day resting in their private off-exhibit building, so visitors may not always see them.
Young sloths are carried by their mothers for the first 6-9 months of life. As the baby matures, the moms will feel more comfortable venturing outside with the baby. If you observe the sloths in their exhibit the baby will most likely be found clinging to its mother’s chest.
