2 sloths at National Aviary celebrate birthdays with big party

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Two of the sloths at the National Aviary celebrated their birthdays surrounded by lots of yummy food and hundreds of guests on Thursday.

It was quite the affair, with over 300 people coming to the aviary to celebrate 7-year-old Vivien and 24-year-old Wookiee, who have back-to-back birthdays on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22.

Guests gathered in the tropical rainforest habitat, watching Wookiee eat a cake filled with his favorite treats like corn, green beans, hibiscus flowers, biscuits and leafy greens, all topped with a sweet potato icing. Guests signed a giant card, which was finished off with the flourish of a paintbrush from the aviary's third sloth, Valentino.

The aviary says Vivien spent her special day "doing what she loves most:" napping. She got to relax in her behind-the-scenes habitat, eating some of her favorite snacks.

"Sloth Birthdays has become such a fun-filled, fan-favorite annual event at the National Aviary," Christa Gaus, the aviary's senior manager of animal programs, said in a press release.

"Guests look forward to celebrating Vivien and Wookiee and learning all about their species. This year in particular, we were very excited to not only celebrate our sloths but to shine a light on other inhabitants of the rainforest, such as the Scarlett Macaw, and educate guests on their important roles in our ecosystem."