Denver Zoo Opens New Sloth Habitat

DENVER, CO — They may not be as fast as some of the other species in the Denver Zoo, but they sure are popular — a sloth family is being reunited in a new habitat, the zoo announced Thursday.

"Few species at Denver Zoo have captivated guests’ attention and adoration as much as its Linne’s two-toed sloth family," the zoo said in a news release. "Charlotte Elliot and their offspring—including the world-famous Wookiee—are among the Zoo’s most asked-about and sought-after species. The pair are now being reunited in a new habitat after more than two years living in separate quarters following the closure of Bird World in 2019."

The new habitat, in Tropical Discovery on the east end of the zoo, is designed to give Charlotte and Elliot the space and features they need to "live their best lives," zoo officials said.

"Tropical Discovery’s high, sky-lit ceilings provide a bright, sunny backdrop for the soaring 22-foot sloth tree, with branches bathed in natural light. With the main guest path snaking around it, this central feature will draw guests’ eyes up to reaching branches and twisting vines and ropes as they walk 360 degrees around the habitat—searching the treetops for mossy, slow-moving bundles of fur."

Wookiee will continue to inspire guests as an Animal Ambassador and star of one of the zoo’s Up-Close Looks, officials said.

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Linne’s two-toed sloths — also known as the Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth or southern two-toed sloth — are found in the rainforests of South America, primarily in Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. The species is nocturnal and spends 15 to 20 hours per day sleeping. Although the species is not considered threatened, two other species — the pygmy three-toed and maned — are critically-endangered and vulnerable, respectively.