Dolphins Get Excited As Sloth Is Placed Outside Their Enclosure

An aquarium in Texas has given followers a glimpse into what the animals are up to while it remains closed to the public.

Texas State Aquarium - a non-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation and rehabilitation of wildlife - has over 400 different species, and has been moving some of the animals around so that they can see each other.

And when the aquarium staff decided to give a sloth a tour of the aquarium, placing it outside the dolphin enclosure, the dolphins were *so* excited.

"With the aquarium temporarily closed, Chico the sloth had the opportunity for an up-close and personal meeting with some of our dolphins. Liko and Schooner were very curious, and Liko was even inspired to attempt an upside-down sloth impression!" The aquarium wrote on Facebook.

Texas State Aquarium)

It's likely they have never seen a land animal before - and in a video clip the aquarium uploaded to social media, the dolphins couldn't believe their eyes.

Three-year-old Chico the sloth was chilling happily on a branch outside the enclosure, meanwhile the dolphins could be seen flipping up and down in the water and thrashing around with excitement. They also look like they're smiling at Chico, who can be seen relaxing and taking it all in.

And the cute sloth didn't stop at the dolphins, he also had a VIP tour of the entire aquarium! Lucky thing.

An aquarium spokesperson told Bored Panda: "We frequently give the animals a chance to 'meet' each other as a form of enrichment, which helps keep them active in body and mind.

"As some of our most popular animals, it seemed an obvious choice for our sloths and dolphins to get a chance to see each other while we were temporarily closed.

"We have another sloth, Xena, but on that day, she was more interested in sleeping than meeting the dolphins!"

The aquarium posted images of the meet and greet on Facebook - and fans were obsessed. One person commented: "Was Chico asleep the entire time? Love this! Thank you for bringing us a few smiles and some good laughs!"

While another said: "Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing. These are amazing pics. The dolphins look happy to make a new friend. Dolphins always look like they are smiling which is making me smile today."

Texas State Aquarium)

While the aquarium is currently closed to the public due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, they explained it's life as normal for the animals, with essential staff still on site to feed and care for the hundreds of different species.

The aquarium is also working hard on its several conservation programmes, where they tackle the most critical issues facing marine wildlife - from debris, to climate change and overfishing.

This includes recusing injured animals, working to reduce plastic pollution and teaming up with SECORE International to study and grow coral reefs in their Aquatic Nursery.

We're so glad that at least the animals taking something positive from COVID-19 lockdown.

Topics: Life News, Cute, Coronavirus, Animals

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot. Get in touch at [email protected].

@lucedevine