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This baby sloth was rejected by its mum so it clings to a sloth blanket instead

The blanket comes from the zoo’s own gift shop.

This poor little sloth has had a rough start to life.

Born a couple of weeks ago at Brevard Zoo in Florida, its mum showed no interest in the baby – but luckily staff noticed the issue straight away.

The Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth was taken away from mum Tango and is now being hand reared.

“When we found the baby away from Tango, we tried to reunite them,” said Lauren Hinson, a curator of animals at the zoo. “But the new mother was not nursing, nor did she show interest in the newborn.

(Brevard Zoo)

“Tango is a first-time mother whose inexperience likely led her to not care for the little one.”

Staff are now providing 24/7 care to the newborn, who is the first baby sloth ever born at the zoo, feeding it goat’s milk every two-and-a-half hours.

(Brevard Zoo)

As newborn sloths generally cling to their mother, staff tried a number of alternative materials out with the baby, whose gender is not yet known, to see which they liked best.

Heartbreakingly, the baby chose a sloth blanket from the zoo’s gift shop and clings to it in place of holding on to its mother.

(Brevard Zoo)

Staff will continue to care for the baby for at least the next five months, at which point they will start to wean it.

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