Sloths Branch Out

SLOW CLAP FOR DENVER ZOO’S NEW SLOTH EXHIBIT—
SHARING JOY AND SPREADING PALM OIL AWARENESS

After years of fielding questions about how to see sloths at Denver Zoo, we’re thrilled to finally be turning over a new leaf! Your favorite Linne’s two-toed sloth power couple, Elliot and Charlotte, are getting ready to move into their new digs in Tropical Discovery—which will be ready for prime time later this month.

If you’ve been following this story, you may remember that our lovebirds had been temporarily keeping separate quarters. Their previous cohabitation resulted in the birth of baby Wookiee, who in the space of his short life has already become one of Denver Zoo’s most beloved Ambassador Animals, and one of our most sought-out Up-Close Looks. But without the space needed to accommodate a growing sloth brood, we’ve had to be a bit more judicial with the canoodling co-eds. Elliot has been enjoying his man-cave in the Felines area, while Charlotte has been embracing her atrium in our flamingo flock’s winter quarters.

REUNITED, AND IT FEELS SO GOOD!

Sloths may be slow, but their sweet nature and adorable appearance have been known to make people’s hearts beat a bit faster. With this in mind, our new sloth exhibit is designed to showcase this demurring species on their terms. Tropical Discovery’s high, skylit ceilings provide a bright, sunny backdrop for the soaring 22-foot sloth tree, with leafy branches bathed in natural light. With the main path snaking around it, this central feature will draw your eyes up to reaching branches and twisting vines as you walk 360 degrees around the exhibit—searching the treetops for mossy, slow-moving bundles of fur.

While rising star Wookiee will continue to make his home with the rest of the Ambassador Animal team, Elliot and Charlotte will be reunited in their new treetop home. Here, they’ll have plenty of room to hang out—and, if the mood strikes, get to back work on their own [ahem] family tree. A note to parents: sloths are nocturnal! So, while you’re fairly likely to catch a glimpse of the pair snoozing during the day, the chances you'll have to explain this particular slice of the Circle of Life to your little ones are pretty low.

SHOP SMART TO HELP SAVE SLOTHS.

As a zoo-based conservation organization, Denver Zoo is dedicated to giving our guests the information they need to make choices that support a healthy planet. That’s why we’ve partnered with Palm Done Right® to help spread the word about palm oil and its impact on wildlife habitat around the world.

Palm oil is used in nearly 50% of the packaged products we find in supermarkets—from doughnuts to deodorant and beyond. It comes from the fruit of oil palm trees, which are part of the rainforest ecosystems in which sloths live. But done wrong, palm oil harvesting can be devastating to the planet.

Palm Done Right® is helping communities harvest in harmony with nature, so local farmers can support their families—and sloths can keep their treetop homes. When you choose their partner brands, you’re supporting hundreds of other smart choices that help the environment...and wildlife, too. Keep an eye out for signage around the sloth exhibit that can help YOU shop smart to save sloths.

SHOP SMART TO HELP SAVE SLOTHS

Want to know what you can do to help?