Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomes 2 baby sloths

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Busch Gardens on Wednesday announced two newest additions to its Tampa Bay park – two baby sloths, weighing only six to 19 ounces each.

A Hoffman’s two-toed sloth was born on March 24 and a Linne’s two-toed sloth was born on April 2. As a leading zoological facility, Busch Gardens will share information about these newest babies with the scientific community, as not much is documented about the gestation of these species.

Guests can see both baby sloths in the coming weeks in the park and at Jambo Junction, Busch Gardens’ home to animal ambassadors who represent their counterparts in the wild.

Born to mother, Grizzly, and father, Teddy, the four-week-old baby Hoffman’s sloth weighed in at 186 grams (6.6 ounces) at birth. After noticing that the baby was not nursing regularly, the animal care team made the decision to hand-nurse the baby via syringe every two hours. The baby is currently healthy and under 24-hour watch.

Weighing 550 grams (19.4 ounces) at birth, the three-week-old baby Linne’s sloth was born to first-time mother, Daisy, and father, Mario. The baby is currently healthy and being cared for by its mother with the animal care team monitoring closely.