Baby Sloth Exhibit Opens At Elmwood Park Zoo

NORRISTOWN, PA — One of Elmwood Park Zoo's newest residents is already a big hit.

The baby sloth, named Beanie's Baby, is about one month old, and guests at the Norristown zoo are getting their first glimpse of what zoo officials are calling their "mini miracle."

The exhibit opened to the general public on Wednesday, Oct. 1 after a members-only sneak preview over the weekend. Both mother and baby are located in the Harmony Hideaway exhibit.

For now, guests are being split into small groups and escorted inside by keeper staff to help prevent the animals from being overwhelmed and to ensure that there's plenty of time for each group to see the sloths.

The zoo said the mother and child are both doing well and have been "moving comfortably" throughout the exhibit in recent days.

Beanie became pregnant at her last home, the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, as part of a species survival plan effort for two-toed sloths. She then transferred to Elmwood halfway through her pregnancy, generally believed to be a safe time for move.

Two-toed sloths are extant in parts of northern South America, including Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname. Their populations are generally considered stable at the present moment, but they face significant future threats due to hunting and land development.