Karma Saving the Rainforest
By Karma Casey
Greetings! Karma Casey here, a spokes-kid for Kids Saving the Rainforest! You may remember me from my interview with Lexi Bacca a couple of issues ago. I moved to Costa Rica to help KSTR, and I’m 9 years old, just like Janine & Aislin when they started our organization way back in 1999.
It’s that time of year again: The holidays! If you are looking for a unique gift that makes a difference, you might consider sponsoring a sloth at Kids Saving The Rainforest! For a donation of at least $30, you will get a plush sloth, a photo and a story of a real live sloth saved by KSTR, a certificate, and fun facts about sloths!
To learn more, visit sponsorasloth.wordpress.com.
Although plush sloths are good to snuggle and hold, real sloths are not! They will become so stressed out they may even die. Also, it is very illegal to hold or touch wild animals. When an orphaned baby sloth comes into Kids Saving The Rainforest, they are given a plush animal to hold onto very much like the one you will receive. They cling to it like they would their mother.
Speaking of sloth mothers, a very special rescue happened at Kids Saving The Rainforest very recently! In nearby Jaco, a concerned citizen saw a large female three fingered sloth fall from a tall tree. When the sloth got to the KSTR clinic, Larissa Callis, a vet tech and biologist, placed her on the examination table and there was a big surprise! The sloth was pregnant!!!!!!
Everyone was very worried about the baby! Was it injured in the fall? Larissa and the clinic intern, Amber Roberson, were able to hear the baby’s heartbeat which was strong and healthy. The mother sloth was in pain, but there was no sign of broken bones or neurological damage. She was kept overnight on close watch. In the morning she was doing much better!!! She was released where she was found so she could be free to have her baby in the wild!!!!
You don’t have to rescue a mother sloth to give back this holiday season! Plant a tree! Do a beach clean-up! Recycle! Start saving up your coins for a good cause! Sponsor a sloth as a special gift for your friends and family!! Start small and keep trying! Everyone can make a difference, especially kids, like me!!!
Happy Holidays from Kids Saving the Rainforest! See you next year!