LOVE is proving elusive for the sloths at London Zoo, where staff are desperately trying to rear their first baby in the species for more than a century. The zoo s resident male sloth Prince failed to mate with his previous partner Sheila – not terribly s

LOVE is proving elusive for the sloths at London Zoo, where staff are desperately trying to rear their first baby in the species for more than a century.

The zoo's resident male sloth Prince failed to mate with his previous partner Sheila - not terribly surprising given it has now emerged that she was actually a boy too.

In a bid to ignite Prince's desire Sheila has been replaced with a "playful" Dutch female sloth by the name of Marilyn. But so far Prince has been too shy to make the first move.

Senior zookeeper Lucy Hawley said: "Two-toed sloths are very secretive creatures so we are never quite sure what they're up to but we like to encourage them to meet as often as possible.

"It would be amazing if we were to have a two-toed sloth baby at London Zoo. We haven't bred them since the 1800s so it would be a very special baby."

It seems that where sloths are concerned you really can't hurry love.