Scientists give up; sloth won’t move

Neither cucumbers nor spaghetti proves persuasive in three-year effort

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updated 6:27 p.m. ET Jan. 24, 2007

JENA, Germany - Scientists in the eastern German city of Jena said Wednesday they have finally given up after three years of failed attempts to entice a sloth into budging as part of an experiment in animal movement.

The sloth, named Mats, was consigned to a zoo after consistently refusing to climb up and then back down a pole as part of an experiment conducted by scientists at the University of Jena's Institute of Systematic Zoology and Evolutionary Biology.

Mats was not even tempted by cucumbers or plates of homemade spaghetti.

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"Mats obviously wanted absolutely nothing to do with furthering science," said Axel Burchardt, a university spokesman.

Mats' new home is the zoo in the northwestern city of Duisburg where, according to reports, he is very comfortable.