Sloth Mate Welcomed After 'Poo Exchange' At East Sussex Wildlife Park

Tuesday, 16 February 2021 06:00

By Charlotte Baker @Ch4rtweets

Drusillas Wildlife Park in Alfriston has welcomed a new sloth from a Zoo in Berlin.

Zookeepers had been looking for a mate for their male sloth Sophocles, or Soph for short, when they were offered Halina, a female sloth from Tierpark Zoo in Berlin.

The pair have been hitting it off after a few weeks of 'poo exchange', yes you read that correctly.

Before Sophocles and Halina met face to face keepers spent the first few weeks of the sloth’s introduction, swapping their poo between their enclosures.

Zoo Animal Manager, Mark Kenward, said:

"Exchanging poo with a prospective roommate or partner might seem like an odd idea to a human, but not to a sloth! S

"Swapping stools actually helps the sloths get to know each other and get used to each other.

"Smell is an incredibly important sense for animals. Poo in particular provides a little parcel of information about the animal who left it. It’s a bit like a postage stamp as to who has been around.

"This sort of olfactory enrichment gives the impression of another sloth being in the area, and prepares each of them for an encounter. We call this a soft introduction. They learn enough about the other to be comfortable meeting face to face.”

Once the poo swap had run its course, the two sloths were placed next to each other with a mesh divider separating them.

Able not just to smell but to see, hear and nearly touch their new neighbour, Sophocles and Halina started to get used to each other.

Zoo Animal Manager, Mark Kenward, commented:

“The faeces exchange has been a huge success, it worked really well with our other mating pair of sloths, Flash and Gordon and we are pleased to report the same levels of success with Soph and Halina. The pair seem to be getting on very well indeed.”

Now they are fully settled and happily falling in love, they are living together in a shared enclosure with Drusillas Rodriguez fruit bats and golden lion tamarins.

Zoo Animal Manager, Mark Kenward, said:

“We know the public can’t wait to meet Halina, the news of her introduction went crazy on social media, so we are really looking forward to being able to see everyone again and to let you all meet Halina!”