Celebrate International Sloth Day with Boonshoft’s Patience the sloth

By Khristine Faith October 20, 2020 0 comments

People can celebrate International Sloth Day with Dayton’s adorable resident sloth ambassador herself.

Today, Oct. 20, is technically the special day, but the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery will celebrate with Patience, the museum’s two-toed sloth, on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. with a socially-distanced live animal program. The museum’s Discovery Zoo staff will transform the museum’s planetarium into a virtual rainforest, and guests can learn all about sloths and the threats they are currently facing in the wild, according to a release.

There is no pre-registration necessary and no additional fee to attend the animal program.

“Patience is our two-toed sloth family member here at the Boonshoft,” said Stephanie Hylinski, the Museum’s Curator of Live Animals. “She recently turned eight this past August. Patience is an avid fan of hard-boiled eggs, sweet potatoes, mangos, and pears, especially when they are cut into stick shapes. On average, she sleeps about 12-14 hours of the day, and on top of being a nocturnal animal, she is definitely not a morning person!”

The event is an opportunity for the museum to raise awareness of the threats that sloths in the wild face, primarily from widespread habitat loss due to ranching, agriculture, urban expansion and logging, according to a Boonshoft release. Sloths are also endangered by hunting and illegal trade in wildlife, and are also at risk for being hit by cars as they slowly crawl across the street.

Attendees will not be able to interact with Patience due to COVID-19 restrictions, however, they will be able to see Patience up-close at the end of the program. Attendance will also be limited to 60 people.

“The Museum will be collecting donations for the Sloth Conservation Foundation, and is proud of the fact that since the beginning of the donations collecting effort in 2018, Patience has helped raise over $300 to help protect sloths and conserve their wild habitats,” the release stated.

People interested in the International Sloth Day event and more information about visiting the Boonshoft should call the museum at 937-275-7431 or visit www.boonshoftmuseum.org. The museum is open at limited capacity and timed entry and face coverings are required.