Tips on How to be a Responsible Sloth Tourist

SAY NO TO SLOTH EXPLOITATION!

Don’t visit any facility, in any country, that allows you to touch, feed or take a photo with a sloth. Sloths in these situations are being exploited for money and do not contribute to their conservation. In Costa Rica, this practice is illegal because it is not in the best interest of the animals. In countries like the US this practice is unfortunately legal, but you will find that the facilities that allow this often purchase baby sloths directly from the wild to train them for these practices. This often leads to their death from poor diet at a young age and always leads to their direct lack of freedom to support this industry.

SLOTHS ARE NOT PETS!

This should go without saying, but sloths are wild animals that belong in the wild and only want to stay there. Never purchase a sloth to keep for yourself. They would not be happy and would likely die from an improper diet and stress.

When sloths are in the wild make sure to:

• Keep a safe distance—sloths get easily stressed by strange noises and smells. When this happens, they freeze and no longer climb because they are afraid that a predator is near! Give sloths their space so they can go about their day!
• Don’t use bug spray or smoke near a sloth—they have very sensitive lungs that can easily be disturbed by such chemicals.
• Don’t use flash photography. Sloths have sensitive eyes and again can be easily scared into not moving for a long time.
• Whisper when you see a sloth nearby in the wild. The sound of your voice could scare them and make them stop doing the sloth things that they need to do!
• Drive safely. Sloths are very slow when crossing the ground so if they ever need to cross a road they will never make it across before a car. Drive slowly and keep an eye out so you can stop in case a sloth is in the way!
• Support Sloth Friendly businesses. Do your research on how the places you want to stay, shop and visit treat the environment. Keep an eye out for conservation gaslighting. Many businesses say they are eco-friendly to get attention, but really aren’t.