Marilyn the sloth gets in shape for summer
Thursday 11 August 2011
She’s not quite a Marilyn Monroe size 14 but ZSL London Zoo’s very own Marilyn the sloth is keeping an eye on her weight this summer.
The two-toed sloth doesn’t like leaving her tree to visit the weighing scales so zookeepers are taking the blonde bombshell’s measurements with a tape measure – to make sure the slow mover doesn’t put on too much weight.
The four-year-old youngster, whose weight has a tendency to yo-yo, lives in the Zoo’s Rainforest Life exhibit with a 26-year-old male sloth called Prince.
Three weeks ago zookeepers recorded her waistline as 24 inches and today it was a svelte 22 inches – so the furry weight watcher is well on her way to getting in shape.
With a diet consisting of carrots, leeks and sweet potato Marilyn is a very healthy eater and zookeepers keep her active by leaving trails of fragrant herbs around the rainforest for her to follow.
Zookeeper Nicky Jago says: “We weigh Marilyn every day at feeding time just to make sure her waistline isn’t expanding by too much – I suppose you could say it’s become a sloth weight watchers session.
“She has a very nutritious diet and is a big fan of mushrooms – so who knows the ‘sloth diet’ could become the next Atkins!”
