CINCINNATI — The people have voted, and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden has a name for Lightning the sloth's new baby: Juno.
The zoo announced the name Friday afternoon on social media. More than 36,000 people voted between the two final names — Juno and Swift.
More than 36,000 people voted (in less than 24 hours) on the name for the baby sloth. Say hello to Juno! pic.twitter.com/PHfVwd7hJK
— Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) June 16, 2023
The baby's sex is still unclear and will remain that way for awhile; the Cincinnati Zoo said a DNA test is often necessary to determine the sex of a sloth.
Lightning's pup is just over a week old, born on June 7. As the baby continues to grow, it will start sampling solid food at about 10 days old and will continue to nurse for about a month, the zoo said. After that, the pup will cling to Lightning's belly and eat whatever she eats.
The baby can be expected to first hang upside down on its own as sloths usually do at about 20 to 25 days old.
Lightning and the new pup also won't be visible to zoo guests for awhile as they continue to bond.
The birth of the new pup comes after 10-year-old Lightning gave birth to a stillborn pup in 2021.
"This is the first sloth baby that our team has cared for," said Julie Grove, Cincinnati Zoo's manager of ambassador animals. "We are beyond excited that the baby is finally here! We're ready to provide support to Lightning as she navigates being a mom."
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