about sos
The Science of Sloths is an organization dedicated to enhancing husbandry by providing science-based advice to guide decisions for sloths in human care. Founded by slothologist Debra Dial, the Science of Sloths depends on the dedication of sloth experts who volunteer their time and expertise to improve outcomes for sloths. The network consists of researchers, scientists, curators, rehabilitators, zookeepers, and veterinarians. The Science of Sloths (facilitated by The Educated Zookeeper, LLC) is committed to promoting best practices for sloths in-care.
deb dial
kelly-anne kelleher
steve goodwin
founder/ceo Science of Sloths
owner Educated Zookeeper, LLC
based in the United States
director, professional development & community education
Science of Sloths
based in the New Zealand
director, field research & in situ
director, NOVU Earth
based in the UK
​​​Deb has 25 years of professional husbandry experience both in the private sector and within professional organizations such as AZA. Currently, she is a full-time curator in an accredited facility and is responsible for co-managing large multi-taxa exhibits and a team of biologists. Although her experience is with all taxa, Deb's professional focus has been on small mammals and avian husbandry as well as innovative approaches to animal behavior.
​​Deb owns and operates a small zoo & aquarium consulting business, the Educated Zookeeper, LLC. Funds from the Educated Zookeeper supports her passion project, the Science of Sloths, which helps Choloepus spp. in need outside of home countries regardless of their professional affiliation or ability to pay. ​
Through Educated Zookeeper, LLC she leads workshops, consults on exhibit builds, provides interim husbandry support, and develops collection plans/SOPs.
Kelly-Anne Kelleher is a specialist small mammal keeper with around 20 years’ experience in a range of animal husbandry roles at UK collections.
She has a particular interest in PAX species and had the privilege of hand rearing a Linnes two-toed sloth in 2016, a Sunda pangolin in 2017, and a southern three-banded armadillo in 2020.
In 2019, she co-authored a paper ‘Hand rearing of a Linne's two-toed sloth at ZSL London Zoo’, which was published in the last edition of the International Zoo Yearbook.
She was a lead event planner and host for the 2016 P.A.X. Symposium and workshop, The 1st International Xenarthra conference, and for the 2020 Virtual PAX conference and workshop.
Kelly-Anne has a real passion for creating learning opportunities for zookeepers and has run a huge number of conferences and workshops providing training for over 1000 European keepers since 2015.
Steve Goodwin is director of Novu Earth, an organization that specializes in training opportunities for Zookeepers, curators, and animal care students, along with specialized Zoo consultancy services regarding habitat suitability and environmental parameters. He has worked in zoos for over 20 years with a wide range of taxa, including sloths, and has been collecting field data on environmental parameters of rainforest species with a particular focus on UVB exposure in home ranges for several mammal species over the 4 years, of which he and his research partner are awaiting publication. Steve is currently planning the next research trip to collect in-depth information on microhabitats, including UVB and a variety of other environmental parameters.
our story
The Science of Sloths (SoS) is comprised of professionals that are dedicated to the welfare of sloths in human care. We noticed that it was very difficult for professionals to find good, proven information that would improve the lives of sloths. The information that is available is often behind paywalls or fragmented within professional organizations and limited to those with memberships.
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Through a social media group, a community was created of 1200+ sloth professionals from around the world to exchange information.
The group is comprised of researchers, husbandry curators, professional animal keepers, rehabilitators in home countries, and veterinarians. We hope the SoS webpage will act as an extension and archive for the information shared in that group and be a resource for FAQs and welfare and provide evidence-based scientific research.
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SoS operates under the Educated Zookeeper, LLC, a professional organization dedicated to enhancing animal care by creating networking opportunities for zookeepers through workshops, tours, and informal receptions. SoS. is funded through the Educated Zookeeper, LLC, donations, and crowdsourcing campaigns.
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We are proud to support sloth care worldwide!
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