The National Aviary welcomes its newest member,  Vivien.

By: Neil Strebig

The 20-week-old Linnaeus’s Two-toed Sloth is the newest member of the National Aviary’s growing sloth population. Vivien joins two other sloths, Valentino and Wookie who currently reside at the National Aviary.

We are delighted to welcome another sloth,” said executive director Cheryl Tracy in a statement. “Public response to the arrival of Valentino in 2016 was and has continued to be overwhelmingly positive, and with so much interest in seeing and learning about this remarkable species, we felt that the time was right to introduce another.”

Vivien currently measures at 14.5 inches long and weighs approximately 2.5 pounds. Beginning January 9, guests will be able to see her during daily ‘sloth talks’ at 12:30 p.m. Next month guests will be able to interact with Vivien during sloth encounters and have the opportunity to take selfies with the sloth or “slothies” as National Aviary handler, Christa Gaus calls them.

“We want to keep it a fairly intimate experience,” Gaus said in regards to the sloth encounters which will help promote sloth and rainforest education.

The sloth encounters are 30-minute sessions that cost an additional $150 to the price of admission. For more information visit the National Aviary’s website.