The Riverview Park and Zoo in Peterborough, Ont., is reporting its popular two-toed sloth, Ferrari, has died.
The zoo’s animal health team had been recently monitoring the 32-year-old sloth’s health which had started to deteriorate. The zoo says the sloth died from “complications arising from several age-related conditions.”
“He took a sudden turn for the worse and unfortunately passed away despite our best efforts,” the zoo stated Tuesday afternoon.
Ferrari and another female sloth named Porsche both arrived at the municipal zoo in 2013 following a damaging flood at the Calgary Zoo. In 2019, the zoo lost Porsche, leaving just Ferrari.
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“With his easy-going nature, quirky looks and charming behaviour, Ferrari was very popular with our visitors,” the zoo said.
“We were very fortunate as Ferrari had a long life with many years of good health. Ferrari was very engaging, approachable, and special to many of our staff.”
Zoo manager and curator Jim Moloney says he thanks zoo staff and Dr. John Sallaway for their assistance with Ferrari’s ongoing treatment and care.
According to the zoo, two-toed sloths can be found in Central and South America, typically in humid, warm tropical and subtropical forest habitats. They can grow to approximately 0.75 m (29 inches) in length and up to 9 kilograms (20 pounds) of mass.
Unlike their close relative, the three-toed sloth, two-toed sloths are typically exclusively nocturnal. In the wild they are usually solitary and they eat leaves, twigs, fruit, and sometimes insects.
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