An odd assemblage of two legged sloths -- sebaceous seemingly slow-witted slothful yokel government putative "attorneys," "legislators," "Commissioners,""managers," "regulators" and "prosecutors" -- should visit our new neighbors -- four-legged sloths at our St. Augustine Alligator Farm.
We'd like to watch St. Johns County, St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach government bipedal sloths commune with their critter cousins.
What do y'all reckon?
From Stuart Korfhage erstwhile excellent sports writer, now the. newsroom lead and developer fanboy of the incredible shrinking St. Augustine WReckord:
Sloths move in at St. Augustine Alligator Farm By Stuart Korfhage
Posted Aug 16, 2019 at 1:30 PM
Updated Aug 16, 2019 at 5:41 PM
After spending half the summer hidden away in quarantine, Teddy and Grizzly made their public debut and got to check out their new home Friday at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.
The newest addition to the local zoo are mature sloths — Hoffman’s two-toed sloths to be precise — that were acquired from Busch Gardens in Tampa.
A small reception took place at the Alligator Farm as visitors were able to watch as the sloths were welcomed into the new exhibit.
At 126 years old, the Alligator Farm is one of the state’s oldest continuously operating attractions. But the zoo constantly freshens up its offerings.
The Alligator Farm opened the Crocodile Crossing Zip Line in 2011, added the Python Challenge and climbing wall in 2014 and just opened the Oasis on the Nile (including a zipline overhead) in January 2018.
“We’re always looking for what appeals to the next zoo visitor,” said John Brueggen, the general manager of the Alligator Farm. “We’re pleased to have these (sloths) especially.”
Brueggen said he was initially concerned about adding sloths because they are nocturnal animals, and he wondered whether they would be active enough during the day (when the zoo is open) to appeal to guests.
But he soon discovered there was a lot of interest in the gentle animals of the rainforest.
“From the moment we had that conversation, I kept seeing sloths everywhere,” said Brueggen, who was sporting a tie adorned with sloths. “It’s like they’re in television commercials and cartoons and shirts and hats and whatever.
“It’s just obvious that people love sloths whether they’re asleep or awake. It doesn’t matter.”
That’s why the exhibit will also be an interactive one as guests will be able to feed and touch them while supervised by a staff member.
“I think they are are to be fun because it will be interactive,” he said. “There will be these afternoon opportunities to go in and pet a sloth and really get close to one.”
Brueggen said the new exhibit was built by its own staff, much like the Oasis on the Nile. Both Brueggen and Sarah Patterson, bird & mammal curator, said the sloths seem to have adjusted well to St. Augustine and are expected to enjoy their new permanent habitat.
“We really appreciate how much time and effort everybody on the team put in to making sure all of the elements were present here in this habitat to help Teddy and Grizzly thrive,” Patterson said.
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