09/12/2019
Wildlife Learning Center is deeply saddened to announce the death of Lola, our beloved two-toed sloth. Lola passed away Tuesday night, September 10, from the final stages of bladder cancer.
Lola battled cancer for several months but did not succumb to the disease without a major fight. Our veterinarian, Dr. Leah Greer, was not willing to give up on Lola and literally did everything she could to save her life. Lola made it through major surgery to remove 70% of her bladder that was stricken with cancer. Lola’s recovery from the surgery was remarkable. Soon after her operation, to our complete surprise, Lola was awake, eating, and behaving normally. Lola then underwent chemotherapy and we were optimistic that she could be in remission for a long time. However, Bladder cancer is extremely aggressive and during an ultrasound exam a few weeks ago, Dr. Greer found that the cancer had returned with a vengeance.
Lola came to WLC about 15 years ago after she was kept as someone’s pet in a bathroom. We are uncertain of Lola’s age because she was captured from the wild to be sold in the pet trade, but we believe she was in her twenties.
Lola helped to educate hundreds of thousands of people about not only sloths but also the rainforests where they occur. Lola always happily accepted visitors into her home to meet her and she traveled to schools throughout Southern California to teach children about the ecology of sloths. We will be donating Lola’s body to science so that she will continue to educate people about the form and function of one of nature’s most fascinating species.
Our thoughts are with everyone who loved Lola, particularly her caregivers, and those who met Lola during a sloth experience, who are sure to feel her loss as much as anyone.
Thank you for loving Lola.
