Woman living her lifelong dream of owning a sloth

By Samuel Wightwick via SWNS

A woman studied for seven years and spent over £8K ($10K) so she could live her lifelong dream of owning - a sloth.

Katie Robinson, 37, has been obsessed with the animals for most of her life and prepared for years before making the jump and buying one.

Katie and husband Rob used to live in Seville, Ohio - but with the state's strict rules on owning an exotic pet there was no way the couple could have a sloth.

So when the couple decided to move to Harmony, Florida, in 2016, Katie made it clear to her husband that they had to get a sloth.

Katie spent the next few years conducting intense research on sloths and seven years later - she finally felt prepared to take on the responsibility.

In December 2023, Katie bought a baby sloth for over $10,000 and named her Ellie.

Ellie was only three months old when Katie bought her - measuring about 11 inches long and weighing about 3lbs.

Katie, who works an office manager, said: "I had many different conversations with breeders and finally found someone that I was comfortable with.

"He is extremely reputable and has bred extensively for zoos and educational programs so I felt very confident in him.

"Sloths can live to 40 years old in captivity, so it's a lifelong commitment and I wanted to make sure I was 100% ready."

Katie could've paid much less for Ellie but she felt it was worth paying extra for the peace of mind of knowing where Ellie came from.

She said: "I really didn't want to pay for just any sloth or find out I was getting one that had been ripped out of the forest or anything awful like that.

"I care for them and their welfare deeply and so I wanted to be responsible when finding somewhere to get one.

"If you get them when they’re three or four months old, you don’t know where they’ve been or come from.

"But with Ellie, I met her parents and I know she's been hand reared since she was two days old."

In Florida, Katie had to obtain a class 3 wildlife permit in order for her to legally own a sloth.

This involved proving that she had access to an exotic animal vet and also answering animal specific questions to prove she had the knowledge needed.

Ellie's husband also had to build a large enclosure in their home as part of the criteria to obtain their permit, which had to measure at least 8ft tall by 6ft wide.

The enclosure is on the second floor of their home and is complete with ropes and logs for climbing and also soft beds for her to sleep in.

Katie also says that in terms of cleanliness and day to day cost, sloths are incredibly convenient.

She explained: "They are so easy and cheap to care for.

"Her food is very cheap, she is on a rice protein diet with sweet potato and carrot at the moment but as she gets older, she'll move onto leafy greens and other vegetables.

"The best part is she only goes to the bathroom once about every 10 days and she pees and poops in same spot every single time."