Costa Rican Sloths travel by Branches, Vines.. & Transformers?

The growing reality for one of Costa Ricas most beloved animals.

Costa Rican Sloths

Bijagua de Upala, Costa Rica is abundant in diverse ecosystems from vast jungles in the foothills of the Tenorio Volcano to beautiful rivers that are teeming with life. Here you can find plentiful species of Birds and Monkeys swaying through the trees or even stumble upon the large but elusive Tapir! These animals are integral to the Costa Rican Jungles as well as a huge draw for eco-tourism and without a doubt there is a winner amongst the most sought after animal to see when visiting our beautiful country.

Hoffmann’s Two-Toed Sloth is a spectacle and rarity to spot here in Costa Rica. The Two-Toed Sloth is considered nocturnal mostly moving around under the darkness of night in the tree canopies making them hard to spot while Three-Toed Sloths are known for being a bit more active during daytime hours making them more common to see. Sloths in general have adapted well to blending into their environment; paired with their slow movements this allows them to go unnoticed even during the light of day. This combination has given them a higher chance of survival while living in such an un-tamed environment. 

Wildlife in Costa Rica have faced a myriad of obstacles trying to adapt to human infrastructure but two in particular come to mind for the sloth population. The first being the wildlife trade and immoral forms of ecotourism having led to Sloths being taken from their habitat for financial gain. The second being deforestation and fragmentation of habitat. Wildlife and the habitats that they live in are being asked to bend to new surroundings that do not fall in line with the natural order. 

Sloth are what we call an arboreal species, meaning they dwell in the trees, using the jungle canopies to travel around and live out their daily lives, only making a trip to the jungle floor about once a week to take care of business - that might be an article for another time but it is a truly fascinating topic. Biologists and locals alike tend to have varying theories on why sloths risk trips to the jungle floor to poop when they could simply do so from the trees. I for one am thankful to cross sloth dung falling on my head during a hike off the large list of potential happenings when venturing into the jungle but do remain intrigued by the behavior. The theories range from possibilities that there is a tri-symbiotic relationship between the sloth, the algae that grows on the sloth's coat and the moths that also have made home in the same coat or that the mud on the jungle floor offers mineral nutrients that they cannot find in the trees to more social behaviors such as sloth marking trees to communicate with fellow sloth to even ancient ritualistic behavior that even is a mystery to the sloth itself. Costa Rican Sloths

While we are still searching and pondering the exact reasons for this habitual behavior, one reason is certain, sloth do have to trek to the jungle floor to navigate man-made obstacles. Roads and deforestation make it nearly impossible for sloths to keep their travel contained to the tree tops and it is far too common for the poor methodic traveler to be hit by a car or mistake power lines for trees often resulting in injury or fatality. This is where our story leads us today. 

This past May at Sueno Rio Celeste hotel, we were going about normal business when a fairly rare sighting of a female Two-Toed Sloth was spotted on a power line just off property. As the Sloth was observed climbing the power line it made contact with the transformer box electrocuting itself and severely burning its hand. Luckily a local Wildlife Veterinarian, Jorge Rojas (@tapirvet on instagram) is in the area doing work with the Tapir and was able to help!

After quite a struggle with the scared sloth Jorge, his team and hotel staff were able to capture and sedate her to treat the sloth's hand for burns. She was then taken to Las Pumas Wildlife Rescue Center and Sanctuary in Cañas, Costa Rica. Here, Head Biologist Esther Pomareda García and Head Veterinarian Martha Cordero Salas were able to provide continued treatment in a safe environment while monitoring the sloth’s overall health and wellness.

Through successful treatment and rehabilitation, the sloth was deemed ready to be released back into her original environment, a success story not every injured animal gets to live out! On July 20th she was released back into her home right here in Bijagua! She spent close to 2 months healing from the burn but thanks to the passionate and hard-working people that helped her.

For us, sloths are an incredibly cool eco-tourism attraction, they are one of the main animals people travel to see here in our lovely country but must be protected for so many more reasons than just viewing purposes - not only do sloth do their part for plant growth regulation, they are home to an entire micro-ecosystem, they travel around with this wide array of insects, fungi & algae dispersing the beneficial organisms throughout the forest that enrich the soil and play out other intricate roles that often go unseen but are crucial to the balance and rhythm of the jungle. It is often said that the presence of sloth can be an indicator that a forest is healthy as they are sensitive to habitat disturbances.

Here at Sueno Rio Celeste we are always eager to help the wildlife that make this country so special. 

3 ways to support Sloths during your visit to Costa Rica:

1. Avoid sloth tours that "guarantee" sloth sightings. This is a big one because one of the beautiful and unique characteristics of sloth is that they are elusive, often only being spotted sleeping high up in trees. When a tour promises you more than this - it is typically because there was manipulation to the natural routine of a sloth, meaning they were likely brought there and forced to stay lower to the ground through controlling behind the scenes methods. When you visit Costa Rica, please come for the adventure and love of what makes this area so interesting and beautiful - enjoy the personal experience you have with the country and if that means you get to see a sloth up close, that is amazing, and if that wasn’t a part of your experience, that is okay too because it means that you got to experience the “Heightened Appreciation for the Unseen” - In ancient text and philosophy there is profound beauty in "feeling" nature and being in the presence of elusive animals without the added affirmation of sight, knowing that you are a part of something deeply natural that transcends our desire to control nature to full-fill our check-list of Costa Rica animals to see. 

2. On the same lines as letting go of how you may wish to experience sloths in Costa Rica, find a quality wildlife sanctuary such as Las Pumas to hear the stories of local wildlife and observe them up close. This not only allows you to see the animals you wish, it puts money into the efforts that are on the ground, fighting for and protecting wildlife. 

3. If you feel led, you can always donate or sign petitions to efforts that are actively fighting for sloth such as “Esto No Es Pura Vida” which translates to “this is not Pura Vida” who is working tirelessly to advocate for the enforcement of existing laws as well as implementing new measures to slow down and stop the number of sloth electrocutions. Esto No Es Pura Vida being just one of many local efforts and non-profts you could get involved with. 

Costa Rica loves it’s wildlife and loves to share the magic of the rainforests - we hope that you read stories like this and it opens your heart and mind to understanding the delicate ecosystem that makes this part of the world so worth traveling so that together we can make ethical tourism the norm and the only acceptable way of seeing the world. Please share this amazing success story and we (Sueno Rio Celeste) hopes to host you during your trip to Costa Rica!