We are heartbroken to share that one of our beloved Linne’s two-toed sloths, 7-year-old Lorenzo, was humanely euthanized due to a critical decline in condition.    

Lorenzo had been struggling with multiple chronic and progressive health conditions that were being carefully managed by his animal care team over the last few years, including an endocrine condition called Addison’s disease. Recently, Lorenzo started struggling with increased lethargy and inappetence. On Dec. 21, Lorenzo was found to be poorly responsive, and he was brought to our L3 Harris Animal Care Center for an examination. His examination revealed that he had a declining body condition along with dehydration and anemia. Due to a poor prognosis, the compassionate decision was made to elect humane euthanasia. His necropsy revealed significant abnormalities in the stomach, kidneys and ureters, all of which had been previously identified by our veterinary staff in a prior CT scan. We hope to learn more from histopathology, or the microscopic examination of the cells of organs. 

Lorenzo was born at our Zoo to mom, Tango, in 2018. His birth was a joyous occasion as it marked the first sloth birth at our Zoo. However, Tango was unable to care for Lorenzo properly, so the decision was made to hand-raise him.  

Director of Animal Programs, Lauren Hinson, stepped in to provide round-the-clock care for the baby, feeding him goat milk every two and a half hours. His animal care team provided attentive, hands-on care to the little one for several months, creating a special bond between Lorenzo and his caring keepers.  

Expedition Africa area supervisor, Alyssa Simon, had the special opportunity to help hand raise Lorenzo.  

“He was so sweet and personable,” said Alyssa. “He definitely had his favorite people when he was growing up, and I am honored to be able to say I was one of them.” 

Due to his friendly nature and comfortability around humans, it was decided that Lorenzo would be a perfect fit for our Animal Ambassador team. As an Ambassador, he helped educate guests on the importance of his species in their native habitats through special educational programs. Lorenzo also participated in our sloth encounters, winning over the hearts of our guests through special feeding experiences.  

“Lorenzo was the sweetest sloth,” said Animal Ambassador keeper Jenna Baiamonte. “He was always so gentle when taking food from us or guests. He was such a great ambassador for sloths and rainforest animals in general, and he inspired so many people to take part in conservation through sloth encounters.” 

When Lorenzo wasn’t participating in daily encounters, he was often exploring his vine system, dozing off in the sun or spending time with his keepers.  

“Lorenzo was a perfect little gentleman,” said Animal Ambassador keeper Jenn Poole. “He was so smart and sweet but also had such a playful and mischievous side. He loved his stuffies, his keepers, goat milk, naps and he was personally offended by the existence of celery. There was so much personality in that tiny body.” 

Lorenzo had many endearing quirks that could put a smile on anyone’s face. He loved to wander down to the ground to eat dirt and loved to investigate his keepers’ belongings, often taking in the smell of their hair, hats and glasses.  

“I could get him to shift anywhere or come out and interact by offering my sunglasses to him, which he would hold and promptly smell and put on his head,” said Lauren. 

Barnyard Attendant, Em Waitt, also found this behavior endearing.  

“My favorite thing about him was when he would come over, reach out with his arm and hold onto your head while giving you a good smell all over your face,” said Em. “He was always very gentle while doing so.” 

Em had a special vantage point of Lorenzo from the Barnyard, often catching him dozing off in his hammock and basking in the sun.  

Overall, all of his keepers walked away from Lorenzo at the end of the day with the same sentiment. He could make a bad day turn into a better one and a good day turn amazing.  

“He made all your problems feel small,” said Animal Ambassador keeper Hannah Myers. “Every single day, from the moment I started my career in zookeeping, Lorenzo made my days feel easy and bright. What I’ll miss most is how easy every passing day felt knowing I could come to work and know we had that unconditional bond. He brought so many smiles to so many faces who needed it most, but especially mine. He will be dearly missed.”

Brevard Zoo is an independent, not-for-profit organization that receives no recurring government funding for our operating costs. Your generous support enables us to continue to serve our community and continue our vital animal wellness, education and conservation programs.