A sloth and 3 turtles paint art for a worthy cause

Olivia Wilson
·2 min read

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — The WKRG News 5 studio resembled a zoo this week as a sloth and three box turtles were busy creating masterpieces for the Art on the Wild Side fundraiser that benefits the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.

Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo’s Director of Development Paula White, Assistant Curator Rachel Gully, and Zookeeper Jordan Danflous joined Cherish Lombard on the red couch for the 4 on 5 to introduce the animal artists.

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The artists, Patron the Sloth and three box turtles, were introduced as the Picassos of WKRG News 5.

So, how does a sloth paint?

According to zoo officials, animals have different painting methods, and Patron is one-of-a-kind.

Jordan Danflous explained, “So, Patron here is a little bit of a special case. He doesn’t… It’s not really his focus on the painting, it’s his focus on the food.”

Patron’s paintbrush has a spot for some food to go at the end. The sleepy sloth is woken up and munches on the sweet potato shoved into his paintbrush. While he was nibbling away at the food, the paintbrush moved, making some unique strokes.

And what about the turtles?

The turtles looked to be more lively for the paintings. They were seen walking around on the canvas. Their feet had been dipped in paint, and as they walked on the canvas, it created some splatter designs.

Although Patron and the box turtles were the zoo’s only animal guests on the newscast, zoo officials say that all the animals become artists for the fundraising event.

“Everybody else at the zoo has painted as well. So, we have paintings from the lions, the giraffes…” said Patricia White.

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The paintings the animals created would be sold during a March 16 auction.

Here are the end results of the paintings:

As a nonprofit zoo, White explained that all their funding comes from purchases of tickets, donations, and fundraising events like this one.

Zoo officials said the fundraising event would benefit the zoo, community, and conservation efforts. A portion of the funds raised will help bring more big cats to the zoo.

To learn more about the Art on the Wild Side event, visit the Alabama Gulf Coat Zoo’s website.

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