Photo: Kim Tunnicliffe/WBZ NewsRadio
MENDON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Some of the Southwick Zoo's slowest residents are welcoming people into their homes.
Guests can now visit and hang out with the Southwick Zoo's sloths thanks to the zoo's 2022 Sloth Encounters series. Anyone ages eight and up can book a 20-minute visit with one of the zoo's sloths, where they can feed them and even touch them, while also getting a quick lesson on the animals themselves.
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe got a chance to feed Perry the sloth some carrots and zucchini.
She spoke with Zoo Educator Jillian Cook who said although sloths can be slow and sleep up to 20 hours a day to digest food and conserve energy, that doesn't mean they're living life in the slow lane all the time.
"When they want to move quickly and they feel like it is necessary they are very capable of doing so," Cook said. "Their body is so perfectly designed for this life up in the trees that they're very agile and can move quickly when needed.
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Tickets for the Sloth Encounters are $79 plus fees for non-zoo members and $59 plus fees for EARTH Limited members. Proceeds from the Sloth Encounters are split between The Sloth Institute and Earth Limited, the zoo's educational nonprofit.
The zoo releases dates for Sloth Encounters every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. on its Eventbrite page.
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports.
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