Katrin, the two-toed sloth who was a huge favourite with visitors at Chemnitz Zoo, died suddenly and unexpectedly yesterday. The cause is as yet unknown, as she showed no signs of illness whatsoever right up until the end.
As is standard practice for all zoo animals, she is now undergoing a veterinary post-mortem to determine the cause of her sudden death.
Katrin was born at Dortmund Zoo in 2006 and had lived at Chemnitz Zoo since 2008. At 20 years old, she reached an age well below the life expectancy of two-toed sloths in human care, which can live to around 50 years in zoos. This is a great loss for the team of animal keepers, as a close bond had developed between humans and the animal over the many years.
During her time at Chemnitz Wildlife Park, Katrin gave birth to several young. However, as sloths are solitary animals, these were rehomed to other zoos. Through this breeding success, Chemnitz Wildlife Park made a valuable contribution to the conservation of this special species.
By housing the two-toed sloth, the zoo gave many visitors a first-hand insight into the lifestyle of this species and the importance of species conservation. Katrin the sloth helped to raise awareness of the threats facing the tropical rainforest and the consequences of ongoing rainforest destruction.
Opening hours (April to September)
| Chemnitz Zoo: | daily, | 9 am to 7 pm |
| Oberrabenstein Wildlife Park: | daily, | 9 am to 6 pm |
Last admission and ticket office closes one hour before closing time