An unusual video has emerged of vets performing what may be the first ever Caesarean operation on a sloth.

The female, three-toed brown necked sloth was brought to the KSTR wildlife rescue clinic in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica late last month after she was injured falling out of a tree.

With support from a local rehabilitation centre called The Sloth Institute, the pregnant sloth was transferred to Herradura, Costa Rica.

An examination by a vet proved the sloth’s baby was alive but in a breech position so the decision was made to carry out the procedure, often referred to as a ‘c-section’ on the 01st October.

While the Caesarean proved to be a success and the baby sloth was safely delivered, sadly both baby and mother died a few days later.

Sloth expert Bryson Voirin of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, near Munich, Germany, told BBC News he has never heard of a sloth being born by Caesarean section.

An unusual video has emerged of vets performing what may be the first ever Caesarean operation on a sloth.

The female, three-toed brown necked sloth was brought to the KSTR wildlife rescue clinic in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica late last month after she was injured falling out of a tree.

With support from a local rehabilitation centre called The Sloth Institute, the pregnant sloth was transferred to Herradura, Costa Rica.

An examination by a vet proved the sloth’s baby was alive but in a breech position so the decision was made to carry out the procedure, often referred to as a ‘c-section’ on the 01st October.

While the Caesarean proved to be a success and the baby sloth was safely delivered, sadly both baby and mother died a few days later.

Sloth expert Bryson Voirin of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, near Munich, Germany, told BBC News he has never heard of a sloth being born by Caesarean section.