Wildlife Learning Center in Sylmar celebrates its first-ever birth of two-toed sloth baby

A two-toed sloth baby was born at the Wildlife Learning Center in Sylmar, the first ever to be born at the animal rescue facility.

The male baby was born to 6-year-old mother Pauley and father Sid, the couple's first offspring. The yet-to-be named baby sloth was born on April 27, and was a fairly large newborn after weighing in at about one pound, according to the Wildlife Learning Center.

"This is a very exciting birth for Wildlife Learning Center," David Riherd, founder and executive director, said in a statement. "We're working on setting up a webcam to monitor Pauley and the baby and hopefully for the public to get a peek into their lives."

The gestation period for two-toed sloths is 10 months, and after birth, the baby clings to the mother about 6 months until it begins to occasionally moves around on its own, the Wildlife Learning Center said. The baby will nurse from mom, but she produces it on demand and does not store milk.

Sloths are not currently endangered, but are threatened by the loss of rainforest habitat. They have a low reproductive rate, so recovery is slow when the sloth population declines.

The Wildlife Learning Center participates in a Species Survival Plan for two-toed sloths. The current zoological two-toed population is 127, but the goal is to reach 150, the center said.

"Reproduction is one of the best indicators of positive welfare, so this birth indicates that our sloths are experiencing a stress-free life with superb welfare," Riherd said.