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Busch Garden Tampa Bay visits FOX 5 Atlanta

Published  July 13, 2017 9:12pm EDT
Good Day Atlanta
FOX 5 Atlanta

ATLANTA - The team from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay visited Good Day Atlanta on FOX 5 as they show off some amazing animals in connection with conservation programs going on in Atlanta this week.

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They brought by penguins, a sloth, and a talkative toucan to serve as educational ambassadors representing endangered and threatened animals people don't normally get to see.

The Busch Garden team is spreading their message about animal conservation and their summer programs to help teach others about efforts to save animals.

Here is more info on the animals that stopped by FOX 5 Atlanta:

Harry: The Two-toed Sloth

  • Live in Central & Northern South America
  • Arboreal, hanging (usually upside down) from their long claws
  • Because they spend their lives upside down, their internal organs have changed position slightly, and hair parts from the belly to enhance water runoff during the rain
  • Feed on plants and eat a small  amount of animal matter, get most of their water from plants
  • Nocturnal, sleep up to 15 hours per day
  • Harry is one famous sloth and has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures and many more!

African Penguins

  • From the sandy shores of southern Africa, these penguins spend their nights on the beach and their days hunting prey in the wavy waters of the south Atlantic.
  • These penguins have up to 100 feathers per square inch to help protect them from the harsh elements.
  • In the wild, they can be found swimming at speeds more than 12 mph and diving up to 400 ft. to catch their prey: small fish, squid, and crustaceans.
  • Penguins generally live on islands and remote continental regions free from land predators, where their inability to fly is not detrimental to their survival.

Swainson's Toucan

  • Toucans spend their lives high in the rainforest canopies of Central and South America; they seldom make trips to the forest floor.
  • They are primarily frugivores and generally start their day with early morning visits to fruiting trees in their home area before making longer journeys in search of new fruit sites.
  • The biggest threat to toucans right now is habitat loss. As the rainforests are being cut down to make way for roads, farms, and buildings, all of the animals that live there are losing their homes.
  • Guests to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay can meet Cyrano and learn more this amazing ambassador.