the sloth center at zoological wildlife conservation center

Our first visit to ZWCC was in the summer of 2014. We 'Joined the Pack' which means we were in an enclosure with a pack of ambassador wolves. We read the website for ZWCC which provides all the information we needed prior to visiting this not for public animal conservation center. Everything was explicitly laid out as to what we needed to provide, what to wear, paperwork required, payment requirements and what we could expect to encounter. With one exception. This experience touched our souls. Within 2 minutes of meeting the pack of wolves we knew we would be back. We both had perma-grins for days. Since our first visit we have participated in several of the different programs offered by this facility. The owners and staff are extremely knowledgeable and the animals welfare is clearly their number one priority. These are not animals trained to perform. We have fed sloths, walked a lynx, binturong, pallid fox, civet cat, Malaysian fishing cat and a snow leopard. We have had monkeys on our heads, and penguins in our laps. We have been kissed by wolves more times then we can count and it still isn't enough. We have been back many, many times. We still learn something new about their precious animals each and every time we visit. I read some disgruntled visitor's comments and was taken aback. I noted they had not taken the time to read the website therefore showed up unexpectedly-no reservations and no thought for liabilities for the owners and the welfare of the animals. This is not a public facility. These animals are not for show 7 days a week as this facility is not a zoo. It is a private animal conservation center. We highly recommend you check out their website and the programs ZWCC offers. When you visit you will get an intimate encounter with these animals and leave a better person for the experience. My only caution is you will also get hopelessly addicted.

...and that's saying something, because Oregon is agonizingly beautiful, with epic hiking and a great city in Portland. My friend turned me on to The Sloth Center. She had been out for one of their other encounters, and when she found out I was coming, she insisted I go. I am so glad I did. I spent the night with 14 two-toed sloths. Like, literally spent the night, on a cot in their enclosure. I got the chance to watch them, to feed them, and to pet them. They probably would have climbed on me if I had let them, but I was instructed not to, because they can bite when they are scared... and sloth teeth are surprisingly scary! Not to worry, though: they're very gentle creatures, and I never had any issues at all except they always wanted to hug me.The overnight encounter was worth it, because the sloths are nocturnal. They really get going around midnight... for a given value of "get going", which in sloth means "waking up and climbing slowly". A few of them will wake up and interact with you, and then they all crash out again. When they would go to sleep, I would, too... and I'd wake up an hour or so later with a sloth climbing on the cot, haha. These animals are endlessly fascinating and ridiculously cute. I've loved sloths for years and was becoming sure I'd never get to see one in real life. It was awesome.But that wasn't even the whole thing! When everybody got up the next morning, I partook in "Monkey Mayhem", which involves all sorts of monkeys and prosimians climbing all over you as you feed them. It's hard to pick a favourite (there was an owl monkey sitting on my head for a good part of the time) but I really loved Fallon the spider monkey, who loves attention and is happy to position herself in your lap and just sit there. The word "joyful" doesn't even begin to describe the experience.We wrapped up the morning with an introduction to a lemur who had been rescued (one of her hands had been crushed so she can't use it to climb) and... get this... two African penguins! This place is a conservation and research centre, NOT a zoo. They're quite clear about that, and honestly it made me much more comfortable to know that the animals are there as rescues and to research captive breeding, medicine, and husbandry. Do not go with the idea that it's going to be like a petting zoo. It's not; you're in a research facility. It's a thousand times better than a petting zoo. They obviously take animal welfare very seriously there, but there are still plenty of opportunities to interact with the animals.This was a delightful experience, and I can't wait to come back to Portland this summer and do it all over again. Thanks so much for having me and for doing the work you do!

~tee hee~ "hippies" ~tee hee~ Thank you for visiting! We are so pleased you loved the animals as much as we do. Come back and visit any time ;)

Thank you so much for visiting! We hope you will be able to join us again if you ever make it back up our direction.

Ahh, you two, thanks so much for visiting again. We love repeat visitors, you are so much more relaxed and have a good feel for the animals and what they need to feel safe when they come out and interact with visitors. We look forward to touching your hearts and souls with every visit.

Oh golly isn't Voight just the most adorable little thing, and he is one that so outwardly expresses his absolute enjoyment of his Environmental and Behavioral Enrichment encounters with visitors.Thank you for visiting ZWCC & The Sloth Center and your support toward the realization of our new, larger, even more modern, sloth building (with room to grown and room to support other species in need) through our various seasonal and ever changing visitor programs.

Thank you for your visit to ZWCC and your desire to support our Mission Statement.It is unfortunate that you find our matter-of-fact verbiage not to your taste, but we have learned to be very concise with visitors. It is quite true that visitor programs are part of a fund raising campaign specifically geared to build a new, larger, building for the sloths and other species.As we are NOT a "for public entertainment" wildlife conservation center that works predominately with rare, delicate and endangered species, we are under guidelines that require we afford all visitors to the facility a Safety Orientation on arrival. Species specific Safety Orientations are also provided BEFORE entering certain wildlife habitats, the sloths being one of them. During said Safety Orientation guests are given BOTH verbal and visual safety tips, one that is specifically addressed in detail is "hooking." We specifically remember this reviewer as in the guide's post tour workup they noted having to remind the reviewer's "friend" repeatedly not to break the "hooking" rule. Honestly, reviewer's friend should have been asked to leave for blatantly continuing to break the safety rule. Not now, nor ever, will we apologize for putting the safety of our visitors and animals over and above any visitors "good time." That said, we would rather all visitors have both a "good time" and be safe.As for the tour guides "spouting off," all statements in our programs are factual and the mass majority based on modern scientific research.As for your footwear, your complaint is moot.As for people holding sloths, sloths do not tolerate being passed around like a party favor, being passed from stranger to stranger to stranger to stranger. Are there photos of people holding sloths on the internet, yes, and as we learned the limitations of sloths in this capacity we changed our programs to PROTECT THEM -- as is our Mission. The moment we learned that sloths could not tolerate such, we clearly noted it on our website. Does this negate what has been offered in the past and captured for a lifetime on film? We need not answer that. As of the time of the writing of this reply, we are only allowing certain sloths to be held under HIGHLY controlled circumstances.As for "stretching your arm up to pet them" - this is TRUE. Sloths are a 100% arboreal creature and we accommodate them. The "stretch" is only 3' from floor to sloth at the lowest point, and 8' from floor to sloth at the highest. The highest point is so that sloths that no longer desire to be touched can freely move out of range -- this is a prescribed protocol, not only by this facility, but by our governing licensing body.Hopefully this addresses all of this "reviewer's" pertinent comments and sheds more light for future visiting conservationist guest on just how important our animals are to us and the measures we take to ensure their comfort and safety, as well as that of our visitors/guests/supporters.Lastly, sloths don't inhabit the wilds of Madagascar (which, by the way, is now 92% deforested for the sake of agricultural crops).

Thank you for visiting ZWCC & The Sloth Center!You so eloquently expressed our passion for our Sloths and doing not necessarily what the general public may want, but what is best for our charges.Again, thank you for supporting our new, larger, even more modern sloth building (with room to grown and host other species in need) fund-raising project as expressed through our visitor programs.

Happy belated Birthday! (*LOL*) like really belated as we are very far behind in responding to comments/reviews ;-)Our Slothologist actually remembers your blindfold removal reaction - PRICELESS!It is reassuring to hear that our unwavering love and COMMITMENT to our animals and THEIR needs not only in the wild and captivity but especially in our charge are obvious. Every month we are faced with that visitor that want us to manipulate the animals to meet their ideal and we won't, we take our animals as they are, we share what they give us, how they give it to us, and we TEACH visitors what that is and how to enjoy the experience through the animals' eyes, not as we would want to change them to be (did that make sense?) To have people like yourself visit is what we love, and thankfully, the mass majority of visitors are much like you! (sadly making the icky ones stand out).

Thank you for your visit to ZWCC & The Sloth Center. We appreciate your contribution to our fund raising project through offering visitor programs to raise finances for a larger, even more modern, sloth building (with plenty of room to spare to continue to grow, and even enough room for additional research geared to rare, delicate and vanishing species in need).For as long as we can, we will continue to attempt to offer visitor programs that grow, change and support our husbandry research and conservation projects as well as offer visitors a change to really LEARN as well as have a good time that is safe for the animals in our care.Again, thank you.

Thank you for your visit to ZWCC & The Sloth Center and your help in supporting our fund raising project through our current programs to raise the funds to build our bigger, more modern, sloth building (with plenty of room for other species in need).Your "do not forget" tips are SPOT ON -- thanks for reminding readers ;-) BUT revisiting and new guests should ALWAYS read the individual programs webpage just prior to their visit as protocols update/change as insurance guidelines change/modify, and federal, state, county laws and regulations change or get enacted. Case in point, as of the writing of this response, our insurance has updated and now gives us permission to allow visitors to enter the sloth habitat AND have physical contact with the sloth ambassadors with short sleeves on - as with all things readers should be aware that this could always change again in the future. As for the porcupines (and some of the other creatures), we always think LONG SLEEVES, LONG PANTS and closed toed shoes are wise as we humans are quickly reminded just how flimsy our human flesh is ;-)Thank you for sharing your wise insight with readers!

You are absolutely correct, reservations are required before visiting our endangered and delicates species wildlife conservation and preservation center and this would have been apparent if our highly detailed website would have been consulted. Until now the notion that people would rely solely on a marketing website for detailed information did not occur to us and we have every intention of looking into TripAdivor's allowance protocols so that we can make sure it is clearly stated on their website that our website MUST be consulted PRIOR to any visits.You are also correct that people showing up unexpectedly on days and during hours we are closed will warrant our animal caretaker staff to get a little panicky when strangers drive up and want to let their children roam and expose our highly specialized wildlife facility to insurance liability potential. We are currently in the process of installing a main gate that will prevent this issue in the future and apologize for the panicked greeting you received.Thank you for your input and helping us to make our facility not only a haven for the animals we love, but an environment where humans can come to learn about the plights of these, and other animals, in the wild in a manner to protects the animals from the stresses outside humans unwittingly bring with them.Staff, The Sloth Center @ ZWCC

Angela, THANK YOU and your family for visiting us!We find it fascinating how humans always get hung up on the "smell" when spending time with animals and on our website we have to specifically tell humans not to wear cologne/perfume and NO CIGARETTE SMOKE residue as they are severely disturbing to the animals. I guess the animals find us even more "stinky" than we find them "smelly" (*LOL*) Just wait, next time we are going to introduce you to the "smelliest" of them all ;-) the Tamandua Anteaters, Brazillian Porcupines and the North American Porcupines (*LOL*)You were such a delight to have visit us and we look forward to your return ;-)~~ The Staff at The Sloth Center at ZWCC

Thanks Ian! You sound like a true animal lover that gleefully and whole-heartedly accepts the animals and all of their facets on their terms.Glad to have you around!Come back soon.~~The Staff at The Sloth Center at ZWCC