Memphis Zoo welcomes adorable baby sloth
Lua will be hand-reared until she is old enough to go on exhibit.
— -- The Memphis Zoo announced the birth of "Lua," their healthy and adorable new baby sloth today.
Lua the Linné two-toed sloth came into the world on March 17. Lua's mother, Marilyn, has birthed other sloths at the zoo but none have survived past infancy yet, so zookeepers have decided Lua will be hand-reared until she is old enough to go on exhibit, the zoo said in a statement.
“We are very excited about the birth of Lua,” Matt Thompson, the director of Animal Programs at the Memphis Zoo said in a statement, adding that the Linné two-toed sloth is a "fascinating species" and Lua's birth was "genetically significant."
"We’re looking forward to this unique opportunity of hand-rearing our little one,” Thompson added.
When Lua is not clinging onto a zookeeper, she holds onto her beloved stuffed elephant, which helps to strengthen her growing limbs, according to the zoo.
The zoo announced that the public can stay up to date on Lua's development through its social media pages until she is ready to go on exhibit.