A baby sloth who was born at Jersey Zoo six months ago has finally been given a name after testing at a specialist lab in Germany confirmed the gender.
After months of waiting, Jersey Zoo has confirmed that its youngest Linne’s two-toed sloth is a female.
Determining the sex of a sloth is notoriously tricky, so the Zoo worked with a specialist lab in Germany, which ran DNA tests on a hair follicle obtained by keepers.
The young sloth has now been named Jemma, with a Zoo spokesperson explaining: “Little Jemma was lovingly named by some close supporters of Durrell, who chose a name which is personal to them.”
Little Jemma was born on 15 January, with her birth marking a key success for the European Breeding Programme, which brought parents Rio and Terry to Jersey with the aim of pairing them for breeding.
Pictured: Rio (left) and Terry (right).
However, very shortly after her birth, the young sloth lost her 23-year-old father, who was put to sleep following struggles with a pre-existing health condition.
Despite the sad start to life, Jemma and mum Terry have been doing well, with the expressive little one (pictured top with her mum, and sticking her tongue out) capturing the hearts of Zoo staff and visitors alike.
What’s in a name?
Jemma is a variant spelling of Gemma, an Italian name of Latin origin meaning ‘precious stone’ or ‘jewel’.