What do you do when orphaned baby sloths are afflicted with mange? Shave them, rub them with lard, and wrap them in sloth pajamas.
Judy Avey-Arroyo of the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica has invented this ointment-and-swaddling method of dealing with parasitic skin infections in baby sloths. It’s work-intensive — there’s not much that’s harder to handle than a greased-up baby animal, and she has to hold the sloths still long enough to wrap them in bandages. But swaddling the sloths allows the sulfur-based ointment to do its work, without the babies licking it off or aggravating their condition.
