BILLINGS — Winston the Sloth has arrived at his new home in Billings.
MTN News has been following Winston's journey from Michigan to the Magic City for weeks, and on Monday we actually got to meet him. And yes, he is as adorable as his pictures.
“We are so excited here at the zoo about this," says ZooMontana Executive Director Jeff Ewelt. "We asked our membership what they wanted to see and they said, ‘Sloth.' So we went to work and thanks to Stockman Bank and the Department of Commerce here in Montana, we received funding… and the next thing you know, we are building a sloth exhibit, picking up a sloth, and there he is.”
While Winston’s habitat is still under construction in the main building of the zoo, he doesn’t seem to mind hanging behind the scenes. It seems that not only is he taking nicely to his new surroundings, but he’s taking nicely to his new name -- which many people recently voted on through social media.
“I’ll be honest, I love the name Winston. I think it’s a great (name) for him," Ewelt said. Though he added that many wanted the names 'Sid' or 'Flash.'
"I will take the blame. ‘Sid’ or ‘Flash’ was not on that final list and the reason being is just about every sloth in America is named ‘Sid’ or ‘Flash’ and we wanted this guy to be a little bit unique," he said.
Winston certainly is unique and it is clear this little guy is going to have a very positive impact on those who come to see him. He'll be making his public debut at ZooMontana later this summer, once his habitat is complete.
Click here for more information about Winston.
