In honor of what would be his second birthday Monday, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is memorializing the life of Oliver Nicholson and the love of sloths he had by renaming its sloth habitat in his honor.
The habitat, currently home to two-toed sloths Lightning and Moe, will be renamed "The Oliver Nicholson Memorial Sloth Habitat."
After the unexpected stillbirth of the long-expected baby sloth during the weekend, the Cincinnati Zoo announced the memorial, noting in a news release that it never was able to discuss names for the sloth.
More:Cincinnati Zoo's first sloth baby is a stillbirth, Zoo officials 'devastated'
Oliver was born seven weeks early in 2019 with his twin brother, Atticus, in Cincinnati. He was diagnosed with VACTERL association, a disorder that affects many body systems and affects around one per 10,000 to 40,000 live births. Oliver died Feb. 17 from complications from surgery.
After learning Lightning was pregnant, Oliver's parents, Alex and Alyssa Nicholson, started a petition to ask the zoo to name the expected baby sloth in his honor, which has since reached more than 81,000 signatures.
More:Family asks Cincinnati Zoo to name expected baby sloth in memory of their sloth-loving son
“We had been in contact with the zoo and had discussed other ways that we could honor Oliver,” Alex Nicholson said in a release. “This tribute will be lasting and means so much. It gives us a huge bright spot on an especially difficult day and some positive news to share with the 80,000 people who signed our petition.”
Alex and Alyssa Nicholson posted an update to their petition Sunday mourning the stillbirth of the sloth, saying that they, along with the zoo staff, were "heartbroken" by the news and were aware that was the reason why names of zoo animals were never discussed before birth.
Post birth, Lightning is currently resting in the zoo's Animal Ambassador Center, but will likely be reunited with Moe, her 22-year-old companion, at the newly-named sloth habitat at some point in the future.
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