News and Blog
With a little help from my friends: sloths, moths and algae
With a little help from my friends: sloths, moths, and algae Sloths are naturally solitary animals, but they are not all alone up there in the canopy. In fact, sloths ha...
Read PostSloth Genetics: a surprising twist
Sloth Genetics: a surprising twist Six years ago, SloCo Founder Dr. Rebecca Cliffe launched a major research project into sloth genetics in Costa Rica. She started this ...
Read PostHelping sloths by going plastic-free: 11 daily items you can change today!
Helping sloths by going plastic-free: 11 daily items you can change today! July is plastic-free month. It is an opportunity to reflect on how we can reduce our plastic c...
Read Post8 Facts You (Really) Didn’t Know About Sloths
8 Facts You (Really) Didn’t Know About Sloths The internet is full of ‘facts’ about sloths. You will be surprised to know how much of this information is untrue. ...
Read PostHow sloths and people benefit from a plastic-free future
How sloths and people benefit from a plastic-free future You may have heard of or remember a time when milk was delivered in glass bottles to your doorstep. In the span ...
Read PostGenética de perezosos: un giro inesperado
Genética de perezosos: un giro inesperado Hace seis años, la fundadora de SloCo, Dra. Rebecca Cliffe, lanzó un importante proyecto de investigación sobre la genétic...
Read PostTales from the jungle: June News!
Tales from the Jungle: June News! [caption id="attachment_30512" align="aligncenter" width="612"] The new sloth conservation headquarters (HQ) and tree nursery! Located ...
Read PostSloths and Cacao: You can have your chocolate cake and eat it too
Sloths and cacao: You can have your chocolate cake and eat it too There comes a point in childhood when we begin to understand the concept of finite resources. The oft-u...
Read PostGetting to know Team Sloth: Meet Patricio (a.k.a. Pato)!
Getting to know Team Sloth: Meet Patricio (a.k.a. Pato)! This month we would like to introduce you to Patricio Silfeni; chief agronomist and manager of the Connected...
Read PostSloth starts using a wildlife bridge in record time
Sloth starts using a wildlife bridge in record time This video of a three-fingered sloth using a wildlife bridge is the exciting result of the coordinated efforts of man...
Read PostJune on our Social Media
June on our Social Media 3 June - World Bicycle Day In this picture you can see our Connected Gardens Project manager, Patricio, riding his bike to deliver some tree sa...
Read Post7 gifts that rainforests give to humanity
7 gifts that rainforests give to humanity One of the things that I love most about the rainforest is its otherness – trees that stretch into the sky, hosting worlds of...
Read PostThe Ultimate Sloth Selfie Code
The Ultimate Sloth Selfie Code Would you like to have your photograph taken with a sloth? A sloth selfie for social media? When considering a sloth encounter, the most i...
Read PostThe Real Cost of a Cheap Pineapple from Costa Rica
The Real Cost of a Cheap Pineapple from Costa Rica In stores and supermarkets in North America and Europe, you can buy a pineapple for just a couple of dollars. But what...
Read PostHow are sloths affected by desertification and drought?
How are sloths affected by desertification and drought? As a child, upon hearing that there is an increase in “desertification” worldwide I probably would have been ...
Read PostReturn to the wild: post-release monitoring
Return to the wild: post-release monitoring Two weeks ago, our three newest tracking subjects were released into the Cahuita National Park by the Jaguar Rescue Center (J...
Read PostMAY on our Social Media
MAY on our Social Media 1-Worker´s day May Day, May Day! Today is also known as International Workers' Day, and we want to say THANK YOU to the essential workers who a...
Read PostTales from the Jungle: May
Tales From the Jungle: May Somehow we are almost half-way through 2020 - a year that is turning out to be remarkable for all the wrong reasons. Thankfully I will be shar...
Read PostEndangered Sloths
Endangered Sloths This week we are celebrating Endangered Species Day by taking a closer look at the two types of sloth that are currently threatened with extinction. Th...
Read PostGiving Back for Giving Tuesday
Giving Back for Giving Tuesday Protecting sloths means protecting people Our sloth conservation programs are based in the South Caribbean of Costa Rica - a region that ...
Read PostApril on our Social Media
April on our Social Media April 15 - World Art day Today is World Art Day and we want YOU to get creative! Upload photos of your sloth art in the comments and we will r...
Read PostTales from the Jungle: April
Tales from the Jungle: April At times like these, it can be easy to get wrapped up in the fear and uncertainty of everything. One of the best ways to combat negative fee...
Read PostGetting to know Team Sloth: Meet Ceci!
Getting to know Team Sloth: Meet Ceci! What originally led you to the conservation field? "I’ve always been passionate about wildlife ever since I was a child...
Read PostSloth Encounters: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Sloth Encounter Experiences Are you thinking about booking a sloth encounter experience at a zoo or rescue center? Before you book, follow our simple guide below to make...
Read PostHelping Sloths By Helping Dogs
Saving sloths by sterilizing dogs What do these two have in common? You might find them both featured in baby animal calendars or filling the feeds of a...
Read PostMarch On Our Social Media
March On Our Social Media World Wildlife Day - March 3rd Happy #WorldWildlifeDay the theme this year is "sustaining all life on Earth". All species are dependent on ...
Read PostHow is coronavirus affecting sloths?
Are you hanging in there? It's a bright, sunny morning in Costa Rica and we are all quarantined inside our beautiful jungle homes. We are social distancing...
Read PostSocial distancing: learning from sloths
It is an unnerving time. The world watches with baited breath as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread and social distancing becomes the norm. Doubts about the sta...
Read PostInternational Women's Day
International Women's Day Women's day is celebrated annually on March 8th all over the world. It is a day to celebrate the contributions of women, and we would like to f...
Read PostWorld Wildlife Day: why do we celebrate this day
World Wildlife Day A Day to Celebrate! World Wildlife Day is the most important global annual event dedicated to wildlife. On the 3rd of March in 1973 the Convention on...
Read PostAnteaters: The Sloth's Closest Relative!
Anteaters: The Sloth's Closest Relative! The Xenarthra family What exactly is a sloth? Are they related to bears? Monkeys? Marsupials? No! Sloths are actually part of a...
Read PostWorking With Nature
Working With Nature Natural rhythms Many people are drawn to Costa Rica for its “Pura Vida” lifestyle (literally translating as ‘Pure Life’); a motto that remin...
Read Post7 ways you can help sloths today!
"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” We have created a list of 7 simple things that you can do every ...
Read PostKnow your Sloth Predators: The Great Harpy Eagle
Know your Sloth Predators: The Great Harpy Eagle The Harpy Eagle holds the crown as the most powerful eagle in the world - and it also happens to be the sloth's main pre...
Read PostEating Green to Save Sloths: Why Your Diet Matters
Why your diet matters Have you ever considered that what you choose to eat each day has a direct impact on the welfare and survival of sloths in the wild? By changing yo...
Read PostWhat Do You Call A Group Of Sloths?
What Do You Call A Group Of Sloths? You have probably heard of a murder of crows. What about a parliament of owls? A shrewdness of apes? A bloat of hippopotamuses? Who c...
Read Post8 Perfect Gifts For People Who Love Sloths
Looking for the perfect gift for the sloth lover in your life? Look no further for sloth gift ideas - we have you covered! Our selection of sloth-themed Gifts that Give ...
Read PostThank You For A Phenomenal Year
Thank you for a phenomenal year We have had a phenomenal year at The Sloth Conservation Foundation and our success is all down to the kindness and generosity of our supp...
Read PostSloth Myths: 11 Things You Think You Know About Sloths
Myths About Sloths Although there are tons of sloth myths on the internet coming from self-appointed sloth experts, there are actually very few scientific studies that h...
Read PostLove and Respect for Sloths
Love and Respect for Sloths Do you ever smile when you are anxious? Laugh when you feel uncomfortable? Often, our external appearances can be deceiving. Remember the ...
Read PostThe Wildlife Selfie Problem
The Wildlife Selfie Problem Animals all over the world are being exploited for hands-on wildlife encounters. We might think that a photo of us riding an elephant, swimmi...
Read PostSpooky Sloth Stories For Halloween!
If iconic villains were replaced with sloths... To celebrate the end of October we have created some spooky Halloween sloths and listed our favourite spooky sloth facts ...
Read Post10 incredible facts about the sloth
10 incredible facts about the sloth Originally named after one of the Seven Deadly Sins, it's no surprise that sloths have been labelled as the worlds laziest animal...
Read PostRecord-breaking bridges for sloths
Record-breaking bridges for sloths! Thanks to the generous support of our donors we have managed to install THREE new Sloth Crossing canopy bridges in the South Caribbea...
Read PostSloth Problems (and how to solve them)
Sloth Problems (and how to solve them) On October 20th we celebrate International Sloth Day, but this year we decided to launch #SlothWeek - 7 whole days dedicated to th...
Read PostCamera traps fooled by sneaky sloths
Camera traps fooled by sneaky sloths Camera traps and trail cameras are commonly used outdoors for wildlife research and they are now also playing an increasingly imp...
Read PostSloths and other strange mammals
The typical mammals As mammals, we (almost) all have some traits in common: seven cervical vertebrae in the neck, a relatively constant body temperature of 37°C/98°F,...
Read PostPlanting 100 trees in a morning
A family comes together to plant 100 trees Last week chief sloth botanist and director of the Connected Gardens Project met with a local family at their beautiful prop...
Read PostNew Sloth Crossing Wildlife Bridges
This month we are delighted to have installed 2 new Sloth Crossing wildlife bridges in the South Caribbean region of Costa Rica! 'Sloth Crossings' are artificial bridg...
Read PostTourism, selfies and animals: are you travelling responsibly?
Tourism, selfies and animals: are you travelling responsibly? The tourism industry is a huge business. By 2020 it is estimated that 1.5 billion people will be travelling...
Read PostSloth diversity - Species
This week we celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity! Did you know that the sloths we see today only represent a very small amount of the sloth diversity...
Read PostThinking about a pet sloth?
Sloths are rising in popularity as exotic pets, but please read this information if you are considering getting a pet sloth for yourself! Firstly, sloths are wild an...
Read PostGame of Sloths
This month we decided to combine our love of sloths with our love of Game of Thrones: Introducing the Game of Sloths!For this photo series SloCo graphic designer Cecilia...
Read PostSloth Education Outreach - YOU can help!
It is hugely important to us that the children who live alongside sloths – the children who will grow up to be responsible for future conservation efforts – know as m...
Read PostAdopt a Sloth for Mother's Day
Sloth fans in the United States - Mother's Day is fast approaching! What better way to show your love and appreciation than by adopting a sloth in your mom's name? We off...
Read PostReleasing hand-reared orphan sloths back into the wild
Releasing hand-reared orphan sloths back into the wild Can an orphan sloth that has been hand-reared in a rescue center survive after being released into the rainforest?...
Read PostSloths need more than just Cecropia for survival
Sloths need more than just Cecropia for survival Why do scientists sometimes feel the need to jump to extra conclusions, just so that they can have an eye-catching sto...
Read PostDon't Stress the Sloths - a guide to responsible tourism
We are so excited to launch our latest campaign in 2019 - how to enjoy sloths without stressing them out, a guide to responsible sloth tourism! Most people don't realise ...
Read PostSloths and Palm Oil: how can you help?
The world is waking up to the palm oil crisis that has driven orangutans to the brink of extinction, but is boycotting palm oil really the answer? Unfortunately no, but t...
Read PostEducation Outreach
To instigate long-term change, we strongly believe that planting the seeds of knowledge and awareness from an early age are the key to success. Although the missions of S...
Read PostNEWLY PUBLISHED: sloths hanging out for a drink!
Our latest work has just been published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/...
Read PostNEWLY PUBLISHED - the sloths extraordinary metabolic response to temperature!
We are delighted to announce that our latest sloth research paper was published today in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PeerJ! It is freely available for everyone t...
Read PostThe Great Sloth Run - the first ever 5K race to benefit sloth conservation!
We are excited to announce that, together with Pangols and Sloth Relief & Shelters, we are launching the first ever 5K race to benefit sloth conservation - The Great ...
Read PostSloth Island, Guyana: in pursuit of the pale-throated sloth!
Hiding deep within the remote jungles of South America, there is an elusive and commonly overlooked species of sloth clinging onto survival. The pale-throated sloths are ...
Read PostIs Costa Rica really the best place in the world to see sloths?
Is Costa Rica really the best place in the world to see sloths? If you want to see sloths in the wild, a quick google search will definitively point you in the direction...
Read PostStarving to death on a full stomach
Starving to death on a full stomach There is a reason why sloths are only found in neotropical rainforests - because the weather is warm, humid and relatively stable all...
Read PostThe Male Sloth Speculum
We often receive reports of sloths that have been severely burnt or attacked with machetes as they are spotted with what appears to be a horrifying injury on th...
Read PostGifts That Give Back
Shopping for the sloth lover in your life? Look no further! We can provide you with the perfect gift that will not only bring a smile to someone’s face, but will save a...
Read PostDo you think you are stronger than a sloth?
Do you think you are stronger than a sloth? Probably. Sloths are often perceived as being simple, lazy animals that do little other than sleep all day. In fact, you might...
Read PostWhy did the sloth cross the road?
For many species, the construction of a road slicing through the forest is an unwelcome inconvenience. Animals that can leap, such as monkeys, may be able to traverse the...
Read PostUpdate: Sloth Research, Conservation and Life in the Slow Lane
2017 has been an eventful year so far with new sloth research as well as the launch of our coffee-table book - with proceeds going towards supporting The Sloth Conserva...
Read PostCALL TO ACTION - the sloth "sanctuary" of Oregon
A recent media splash advertising “sloth sleepovers” has drawn our attention to the alleged “Sloth Sanctuary” in Portland, Oregon. While this centre has been on o...
Read PostHow can I get a job with sloths?
“Your job is amazing”, “How can I get a job like that?”, “I want to be a sloth scientist” These are the usual responses I get when I tell people that I’m...
Read PostThe Power of Education
Welcome to our first official blog post for The Sloth Conservation Foundation - and just in time for International Sloth Day which we celebrated on October 20th. One of...
Read PostSloths Like It Hot
Sloths Like It Hot: ambient temperature modulates food intake in the brown-throated sloth (Bradypus Variegatus) During this study we measured exact levels of food inta...
Read PostThe Pygmy Sloths of Panama
The Pygmy sloths of Panama are considered to be one of the world’s most critically endangered mammals with the last official population count identifying only 79 indivi...
Read PostSloth Conservation: “Be the change you want to see in the world”
Sloth populations across South and Central America, like many other animals, are under threat from unprecedented levels of habitat loss. There is no way to escape the fac...
Read PostMitigating the Squash Effect: Sloths Breathe Easily Upside Down
Content warning: Some images in this blog may not be suitable for younger audiences (i.e. images of internal anatomy of sloths) Sloths are known to spend a significant...
Read PostHere's Why Sloths Do Not Make Good Pets
A while ago, the internet went crazy over the story of a five-month-old baby girl and her best friend: a pet sloth. The story was accompanied by photos and a video that q...
Read PostSloth Deformities – A Genetic Study
The Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica have now received 9 orphaned baby sloths showing birth defects and other institutions such as the Jaguar Rescue Centre are reporting a s...
Read PostWhy Do Sloths Really Poop on the Ground?
Why Do Sloths Really Poop on the Ground? Sloths are famous for their unusual and bizarre bathroom habits. Both two-fingered (Choloepus) and three-fingered (Bradypus) slo...
Read PostWhy Are Sloths So Slow?
Why Are Sloths So Slow? When you imagine a sloth, you probably think of a simple, lazy creature that does little other than sleep all day. In fact, you might wonder how ...
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