Tropical Encounters
Tropical Encounters is the newest addition to the Conservatory. It is an expertly crafted and constructed replica of a rain forest, complete with mist, a stream and pond full of fish and turtles, all manner of tropical plants, an anaconda, tropical birds that fly about, and...
....a sloth?
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| Mist over the fish tank. |
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| Bromelliads and orchids growing on an artificial tree limb. |
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| A flowering vine hanging from the roof of a hut. |
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| Big fishes in the fish tank |
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Yes! We have some bananas!
You can see the bunch in the middle of the pic. |
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This little guy was chirping and flying all over the place.
It was quite difficult to snag a picture of him. |
We were nearing the exit of the exhibit and looking down admiring the plants along the stream. Then we saw a plaque talking about a sloth. What? a sloth?! Where? Instantly we looked up for a tree. There was a brownish lump in the artificial tree right next to us, and it took us a moment to recognize that it was furry. Could that be the sloth? But it's right there! There's no cage, or glass. Can they do that?
Apparently they can for a slow-moving, sleepy herbivore that only comes down from its tree every two weeks to, uh, take care of business. Luke, who is 6'4", could have reached up and touched it. It was enjoying a nice nap with its lettuce leaf, until something happened...
My apologies for my cheesy commentary. ;) I found out later that "he" is a "she" named Chloe. I'm curious to see if she's in the same tree on my next trip!
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