Abandoned Baby Sloth Clings Tightly to a Plush Version of Himself In the Absence of His Mother

A tiny male baby two-toed sloth whose mother could no longer care for him, has bonded with a plush version of himself in her absence. According to Kelly-Anne Kelleher, his primary caretaker at the London Zoo, toy helps him to develop his muscles and gain much-needed strength.

Kelly-Anne Kelleher started to bottle-feed this two-toed sloth every 3 hours with a mixture of goat’s milk and vitamins heated up to room temperature, just like milk fed to human babies. ..He lets her know when he is hungry by making a loud noise that sounds like a mixture between a squeak and a sneeze. Kelleher got hold of a sloth-like teddy bear to help the baby develop its muscles. When the stuffed toy is hung by its arms, the young sloth clings to it like it would to its mother, or climbs on its body, helping it to gain strength.

The sloth, who’s been named “Edward Scissorhands“, due to his long, sharp claws, is part of the European Endangered Species breeding program, which helps to rebuild species population.