WHY SLOTH
Sloth is a very sensitive and loving creature. First time we saw the video about the incredible journey of a baby sloth who was found abandoned and then adopted by a journalist, it touched our hearts. We particularly connected with sloths when we found out they were great moms. They carry their babies in their arms for a full year and teach them how to feed and how to survive and only then, when they show first signs of independence, they let them start their own journey. You may say sloth’s life truly depends on the love and care provided by their moms.
There is no abandoned baby sloth. The one, found alone in Costa Rica are orphans whose moms have been killed or used for animal trafficking.
Baby sloth from our story was luckily adopted by a journalist whose heart was devoted to nature and to rescuing these highly endangered species. But, even with her best knowledge and care, baby sloth was simply dying. It took her a while to figure out the why behind it.
She was busy with her work, and at times, she would have to leave her baby safe and secured, but alone.
Little did she know sloth’s lives depend on love and physical closeness! She was becoming weaker because she required very specific environmental conditions to thrive. Most profound adjustment was carrying sloth at all times so she could maintain a warm body temperature. Literally, hug me or I will die!
This discovery was clearly heartwarming and touching. It is when we decided we will actively support preservation of this amusing creature.
Love carries the world, it is spinning the universe and it is the only ultimate goal of each and every one of us to reach. Lack of love can be deadly to animals and humans alike. With his Mona Lisa smile, this enigmatic creature carries out the message of love, closeness and beyond. With curiosity and admiration we shall continue discovering the depth and the beauty of its being.
The common misconception is that the sloth is lazy and slow. But it appears it is in fact the incredible survival strategy. By moving slowly, sloth is actually becoming hard to spot by predators. It is nothing but a clever game plan.
In today’s busy world, running from task to task, leaving just enough time for a quick meal on the go or better yet just a coffee, we somehow learned to rush. We mastered juggling and racing. At least we want to think so. We consider speed as a trait. We seem to have a difficulty allowing things to take time. Healthy lifestyle, relationships with self and others require such approach. Bottom line is: focus and full attention are essential matters to live a healthy and happy life.
What if we learn from sloth how to slow down? After all it is a mechanism of survival. Taking things slow allows us to see and feel more internally and externally. That on the other hand raises awareness and sheds clarity on many things.
We strongly believe by slowing down just a little, our life could gain deeper meaning, clearer intention and overall quality.
There is so much to learn from our nature and from its habitants. Being in synchronicity with our surroundings, we could do and experience amazing things.
We are grateful to our sloth for so many lessons on how to: live, love, sleep, cohabit with others and more.
Our deep appreciation and gratitude we show practically by contributing to preserving their lives by supporting the Sloth Conservation Organisation in Costarica as well as contributing % from our product sales to this amazing mammal.
WE ADOPTED SLOTH…
When we realized how fascinating, complex, and vulnerable sloths are, we decided to take active measures in extending our support in the form of adoption.
We hope that our relationship with sloths will show people how nourishing the human-animal connection can be, how it brings us closer to nature, and to ourselves.
Enjoy the story of a Star: the longest studied wild female sloth in the world.
SPECIES: Brown-throated three-fingered sloth
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Bradypus variegatus
APPROXIMATE AGE: +10 years old
WEIGHT: when found 3.8kg
DATE FOUND: January 23th, 2014
Star lives in the South Caribbean: an area known for its tropical rainforest next to the ocean.
Star was the first female sloth to be tagged as a part of the Sloth Backpack Project. This is a long term investigation into biology and ecology of sloths, with the overall aim of learning more about behaviour and habitat requirements in order to develop conservation strategies. The project involves tagging and monitoring the daily activity and movement patterns of wild sloths using a small device called the Daily Diary. Combined with a VHF radio transmitter inside of a specially build “sloth backpack”, this little data logger records everything the sloth is doing and exactly where it is doing it.
It is thought that female sloths are sexually receptive for 8 days every single month, but very little is known about the reproductive cycle of female three-fingered sloths, and it was hoped that Star could provide essential information on the behavioral changes associated with this in wild.
Star is a beautiful three-fingered sloth most identifiable by her striking, bright yellow facial markings, and can regularly be seen hanging out in the trees bordering teh Estrella river (Star River) in the Limon Province of Costa Rica.
Star was tagged with her first backpack in January 2014, and has been trasked ever since. She has a highly specific and surprisingly small home-range, covering approximately 200m2.
Star will move, on average, 10-20m per day, and displays the cyclic rotation of favoured trees that biologist expected.
When female sloths are in oestrus and therefore sexualy receptive, they regularly male a high pitched vocalization to attract the attention of nearby males. In late 2014, she was observed vocalising in a tall Sangrillo tree, and to the delight of observing biologists, she was joined by male sloth. Although no matting was actually observed, it is presumed to have happened.
