A baby sloth, who otherwise would have starved, has been taken under the care of London Zookeeper Kelly-Anne Kelleher. The baby, named Edward after the character of Edward Scissorhands, played by Johnny Depp, was at risk because his mother had stopped producing milk and was unable to care for him. Kelly-Anne stepped up immediately to help, using a combination of goats' milk and vitamins to bottle feed Edward.
Since a sloth must develop arm muscles from birth so they can cling to branches, a fuzzy teddy bear was rigged in Edward's living area. This enables him to grab on and climb around, much like he would to his mother so he will develop normally. Despite his unusual upbringing, Edward is very much a typical sloth, sleeping much of the time. Zookeepers report that they often have to rouse him from a deep sleep so he can be fed every three hours.
