Tag Archives: conservation

Locket the baby sloth

“[Locket’s] first moments in life were spent face down on a forest floor…covered in dirt and without his mother to clean him or feed him.”

Locket is one of the success stories of the Sloth Institute of Costa Rica, although other baby sloths aren’t so lucky. A first-hand write up on the “best and worst” of 2014 at the Sloth Institute can be read here. I encourage you to please go and check out this article and their website. Sloths aren’t just a cute little face and funny mannerisms. They need our love and support to be around for generations to come.

primatography baby locketImage from Primatography.com

 

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Please help save baby sloths from deformities

The incidence of congenital disorders in the wild sloth population appears to be increasing, and the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica want to do something about it. The deformities have all been similar; missing fingers/toes, malformed ears and misshapen limbs.

 

deformsloth

The deformities are likely to be a result of inbreeding due to habitat destruction and their subsequent confinement to isolated islands. The Sanctuary is working frantically to save these little babies, but also needs to find out whether a lack in genetic diversity is the cause, so steps can be taken to reduce the effects. You can help out, as I have, by donating here to cover some of the costs of this scientific research.

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What is the ideal habitat for a sloth?

In a study published last month in PLOS One by Mendes and colleagues, researchers examined the distribution of maned sloths in South America, and found that their habitat was restricted to the coastline of Brazil. journal.pone.0110929.g002This area is “between 0 and 2,349.86 m of altitude, with an annual temperature between 8.5 and 19.4°C, and an annual precipitation between 753.01 and 2,592.0 mm”. However, the amount of suitable habitat for the maned sloth may (worryingly) be lost in the coming years due to different factors such as deforestation.

Not only [should] conservation actions should be taken in the protected areas, but also they are dearly needed to restore and reconnect the surrounding habitats and other important ones where maned sloth is known.

If you would like to help in rainforest conservation and hence the maintenance of the maned sloth’s population, you can make a donation to the Amazon Conservation Association or the World Land Trust’s Atlantic Rainforest Project. bradypus_torquatus

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Happy International Sloth Day!!

 

Sloth International Day was created by Foundation AIUNAU.

 

“[Sloth International Day] was created … to bring the world of sloths and their forest to the citizens/people as a process of sensibilization towards wildlife. It is important to get to know these species so special, these cryptic and shy beings that inspire us and awaken our tender feelings. There is a lot that sloths can teach us – respect, tenderness, joy, pacific share. Nevertheless, without consideration, in our lack of awareness, we harm them so much and bring their existence in danger of extinction.”

blackandwhitesloth

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