Zoo names baby sloth for boy who died of cancer

Two months after its birth and nearly 1,000 suggestions in the meantime, the Roger Williams Park Zoo’s baby sloth has a name: Beany.

It was named for Brenton “Beany” Gaudreault, who died in June at age 15 after a long battle with osteosarcoma, according to a post on the zoo’s Facebook page.

Brenton had gone by the nickname Beany since he was a newborn, and he “absolutely loved sloths!,” according to the Facebook post.

The zoo held a fundraising contest to name the sloth, which was born in May, receiving nearly 1,000 nominations and raising $15,745.

Brenton’s mother, Mandy, ”often called Brenton her sloth, so when she saw the article about the Zoo’s baby-naming contest she knew it was a message from her son,” the zoo says in the Facebook post. “She shared the contest with family and friends, and they showed up in force — donating and voting for Brenton aka Beany.”

Beany received 347 votes.

“We hope that our little sloth can continue to honor Brenton's memory and bring awareness to this little-known childhood cancer,” the post says.

The zoo says the money raised will be used to “continue our mission of providing quality animal care, while protecting wildlife and wild places.”