Sally is a Linne’s two-toed sloth, the largest of the six sloth species. They spend most of their lives hanging upside down and come down from their trees solely to use the toilet, which is only once a week due to their slow metabolisms.
Lucy Edwards, the curator at Northumberland Zoo said, “Sloths like Sally are endlessly fascinating. Despite being slow, they only sleep around 8-10 hours a day, digest food very, very slowly, and can even turn their heads almost all the way around thanks to their unusual anatomy.”
Since Northumberland Zoo announced Sally on their website and social media platforms, she has become an online sensation. The initial video posted of her on the zoo’s Facebook page garnered over 80,000 views, and she has received widespread coverage from the local press, including an appearance on the front page of The Journal.
Many new visitors have flocked to the zoo to catch a glimpse of Sally in her specially designed indoor habitat, the Rainforest Lookout. She shares this large enclosure with other animals, including the primate white-faced saki monkey and the rodent Azara’s agouti. The Rainforest Lookout is artificially heated to 25 degrees, alongside a stream to keep the air moist.
The sloth is part of an endangered species breeding programme
Aside from attracting many admirers, Sally is part of an EAZA Ex-Situ Programme, which means that individual animals are moved across different zoos to create genetic diversity. “The sloth is part of an endangered species breeding programme" said Northumberland Zoo manager, Maxine Bradley, when speaking to BBC News. “Sally being here is a great way of putting the message out about the rainforests.”
If you would like to visit Sally, Northumberland Zoo is located in Morpeth, and is open every day from 10AM until 4PM.