Adelaide Zoo is celebrating the life of one of its most iconic and oldest residents, Australia’s last sloth, Miss C the Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth.
The difficult decision was made to humanely put Miss C to sleep late on Friday, 2 June, as her quality of life deteriorated due to age-related health issues.
Adelaide Zoo Curator of Conservation and Native Fauna Dr Phil Ainsley said at more than double her life expectancy, Miss C had a number of age-related health conditions and was found on Friday morning by her keepers looking visibly unwell.
“Miss C truly was a phenomenal creature and believed to be the oldest of her kind in the world,” Dr Ainsley said.
“The treatment Miss C required was very invasive and would likely only delay the inevitable so the hard decision was made to humanely euthanise her.
“Although this is an extremely sad loss for us all, it was the right thing to do for Miss C.”
Born at Adelaide Zoo in 1974, Miss C was an important part of Adelaide’s Zoo’s history and was dearly loved by staff, volunteers and visitors.
“We were extremely lucky to have called Miss C a member of our Adelaide Zoo family for so long,” Phil said.
“Her long life is a true testament to the stellar care provided by our dedicated zoo staff over the years.
“Miss C will always hold a special place in the hearts of our zoo family and will be fondly remembered by all who travelled from near and far to visit our iconic friend.
“At this stage, there are no sloths left in the region, so while we would love to one day house this amazing species again, it may be some time before a sloth once again calls Adelaide Zoo, or Australia home.”
The Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth is a solitary, nocturnal and arboreal animal that inhabits parts of Central and South America including Honduras, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia.
