Household asks Cincinnati Zoo to call the infant sloth in honor of their son

In the last months of his life, Oliver Nicholson was rarely seen without his favorite stuffed animal.

It was a gift his father Alex Nicholson bought in the gift shop at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital when Oliver underwent an operation in January 2021. It quickly became his favorite toy and comfort item, Nicholson said.

“He only had one arm and cuddled it all the time,” said Nicholson, who lives with his family in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. “Every photo we took of him in the last month had this sloth right next to him.”

Oliver was born in Cincinnati for seven weeks in early 2019 with his twin brother Atticus. Oliver was diagnosed with the VACTERL association, a disorder that affects many body systems and affects about one in 10,000 to 40,000 Live births.

Oliver died on February 17th as a result of an operation. At his funeral, Nicholson said people approached him and his wife, Alyssa Nicholson, and asked if they had seen the latest news from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. Lightning, the two-toed sloth, was pregnant.

More:“It wasn’t love at first sight”: The Cincinnati Zoo is expecting its first baby sloth this fall

“That was the first time that it sparked,” said Alex Nicholson. “What a coincidence on a day that was so tough for us and what a brilliant moment. It gave us hope and it felt like a sign.”

At Oliver’s funeral, there was a large sloth balloon in his hospital room that read “Hang in there,” another symbol of his love for the animal.

Later in the year when the zoo announced Blitz was on a birthing watch, expected to give birth to the first newborn sloth for the Cincinnati Zoo, Nicholson said the idea of ​​honoring Oliver had resurfaced, and Alyssa Nicholson started a petition.

Sloths have a 10-month gestation period, and Lightning is expected to give birth in the next few weeks.

More:The Cincinnati Zoo is officially on watch for its first baby sloth

“On February 24, during Oliver’s visit, people came to tell us that the sloth at the Cincinnati Zoo was pregnant,” the petition said. “Everyone said it was a sign, speculating that it would be named after Oliver. We later found out that Lightning was a two-toed sloth that resembled Oliver’s hand with only two fingers. “

The petition “Name the baby sloth after Oliver”, collected more than 21,000 signatures by Wednesday afternoon.

The reasons for wanting to name the not-yet-born sloth after Oliver are diverse, said Alex Nicholson.

“In our grief as families and as huge zoo and Fiona (the hippopotamus) fans, it would be an amazing, special thing to carry on in memory,” he said. “We also want to draw attention to the conditions that Oliver had as they are not very well known.”

A spokesman for the Cincinnati Zoo said they are aware of the petition but will not begin the naming process until after the baby is born.

“I think people will come to see the sloth if it’s named after him,” said Alex Nicholson. “It’s getting bigger than us. It’s gaining momentum and that’s real. At first it was just a cool thing and a sign, but we get messages from people saying that this meant the world to many of them.”

To view and sign the petition, visit https://www.change.org/p/cincinnati-zoo-botanical-garden-name-the-baby-sloth-after-oliver.