Wednesday was a “doubly exciting day for baby animals” at Zoo Atlanta, officials said.
The zoo announced Wednesday that two newborns — a two-toed sloth and an eastern bongo — had joined its ranks. Both births were historic.
“One one hand, we have a first in the Zoo’s history with the newborn sloth,” Zoo Atlanta President Raymond B. King said in a news release. “On the other hand, we have another birth for a critically endangered species for which every new arrival is a celebration.”
The eastern bongo is among Africa’s largest antelope species and fewer than 500 are believed to remain in the wild. The baby born Wednesday was the fourth birthed by “veteran” mother Matilda, officials said.
As well as being a Zoo Atlanta first, the two-toed sloth born Wednesday was the first for mother Bonnie. The species is not endangered but “could require closer monitoring in the future as wild populations face threats from habitat destruction and human encroachment.”
Zoo Atlanta is one of only a handful of zoos ever to successfully obtain an ultrasound with a sloth, officials said.
As of Wednesday, neither newborn had been named.
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