A new sloth care center was inaugurated near Braulio Carrillo National Park, specifically at the Rainforest Adventures Park Reserve (RFA).
The “Sloth Bear Habitat and Care Center” is intended to be a new home for these animals that, due to different circumstances, cannot be released or returned to their natural habitat.
The initiative results from a partnership between Rainforest Adventures and the Penhurst Sloth Sanctuary in Limón.
Four sloths have a new home in this center: Ash, Zeus, Ollie, and Tonka are taken care of by the personnel. They are two-toed sloths (Choloepus) and were rescued by Penshurt Sloth Sanctuary after losing their mothers, making it impossible for them to survive independently.
“They were rescued at a very young age by the Sanctuary located in the Caribbean after losing their mothers and becoming orphans. This situation made it difficult for them to develop the skills and conditions to survive on their own in the wild,” Rainforest Adventures reported in a press release.
People can meet the sloths by visiting Rainforest Adventures Park, where they can also engage in other activities without disturbing the animals.
This center allows the sloths to enjoy nature and the outdoors in optimal conditions. It also seeks to promote this species’s protection and educate the population about its importance to the environment.
“In Costa Rica, there are centers dedicated to rescuing sloths that have been run over, electrocuted, attacked by other animals, or orphaned at a very young age because their mothers abandoned them or died from one of these same causes.
Some will be able to return to their natural habitat, but others will always have to live in a controlled space, and this is where we come in, to collaborate with the Sanctuary’s work of offering them a permanent home”, explained RFA’s Operations Director, Luis Diego Castillo.
Commercial Manager, Grethel Jiménez, invited everyone to visit the center and enjoy the experience of seeing these wonderful animals.
“It is part of our commitment to the preservation of the flora and fauna that has characterized us for years; therefore, our reserve in Braulio Carrillo launched this new project of which we would like to invite you to be part of with your visit,” she concluded.
