COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's 10-year-old sloth, Lightning, is expecting a baby soon!
The zoo broke news on the two-toed sloth's pregnancy Thursday after learning Lightning and Moe will be sloth parents next summer.
Cincinnati Zoo’s Zoological Manager Julie Grove said the pair of sloths had been separated from each other for several months after Lightning gave birth to a stillborn baby last October and were reunited recently.
“They showed immediate interest in each other and did what we were hoping they would do,” Grove said.
The Zoo’s Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) scientists have been regularly performing ultrasounds on Lightning, and in early September, they confirmed a fetus and fetal heartbeat during an exam.
According to a release from the zoo, an ultrasound earlier this week showed "significant growth and fetal movement."
“Lightning is in good health, and we remain optimistic that she will deliver a healthy baby,” said Grove. “To make sure she gets plenty of rest and TLC, we are going to keep her behind the scenes until she gives birth. If all goes well, visitors will get to see Lightning and baby in July. Moe is in Discovery Forest and can be seen during regular Zoo hours.”
Lightning came to Cincinnati in 2019 on a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP). She was introduced to 23-year-old Moe in December 2019.
Moe was orphaned in the wild as a young sloth and later brought into human care to survive.
According to the zoo, the sloth species, Linne’s two-toed sloth, is not endangered but is becoming increasingly vulnerable due to human encroachment and activity.
When the new baby sloth arrives early next summer, it will latch on to Lightning and stay attached for the next 10-12 months.
