Sloths are magical animals. To understand this, just look at the video that went viral by Lucy Cooke, zoologist, producer and TV presenter, founder of the Sloth Appreciation Society and author of the bestseller 'A Little Book of Sloth'. It's called 'SLOTH MAGIC' and takes us on a journey among the adorable sloths, busy with their everyday 'chores'
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
I sloths they are magical animals. To understand it, just look at the viral video of Lucy Cooke, zoologist, producer and TV presenter, founder of the Sloth Appreciation Society and author of the bestseller 'A Little Book of Sloth'. Her name is ‘SLOTH MAGIC’ and takes us on a journey among the adorable sloths, busy with their everyday 'chores'.
The images come from Costa Rica, where sloth moms abandon their young more often than in any other rainforest (one theory suggests this phenomenon is related to genetic mutations caused by pesticides) and a sanctuary takes care of orphaned or injured specimens.
Speaking is Claire Trimer, from the Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary, who weighs and feeds over 12 chicks every day. Each animal is kept in a large cage, equipped with blankets and soft toys. The property, 120 hectares (300 acres) of protected land, is home to approximately 150 sloths.
In all languages, the word sloth is synonymous with laziness and some people even believe it is a devil animal. This increases the abuse of them. Volunteers tell of animals set on fire, trampled or beaten with sticks. But there are many who deeply love the slowest mammals on the planet, which take 30 days to digest a single leaf and defecate only once a week, coming down from the tree (a real evolutionary enigma, as it leaves them vulnerable to predators).
The sanctuary treats both species native to the area, I two-toed sloths (genus Choloepus) ei bradipi tridattili, smaller, faster and more visible, as they tend to move during the day, while the two-toed sloths are nocturnal.
"They are very different animals, they shouldn't have been called by the same name" says Trimer. “In the wild, a two-toed sloth keeps the cub for up to one year of life. During that time he teaches the little one survival techniques. They don't instinctively know which plants are toxic in the jungle. Mothers also encourage a move slowly, because the rapid movement draws attention to predators ”.
Thus, when the little ones arrive at the sanctuary without having spent enough time with their mothers, they are unlikely to be able to return to nature once they have grown up. So far the shrine has released 130 sloths in the wild, especially injured and rehabilitated adult individuals. One wonders how one can harm these creatures. It is impossible to resist their sweetness. Don't believe it? Watch this video to fall in love with them:
Roberta Ragni
Read also:
Cute sloths in pajamas: an eulogy to slowness (video)
Panama: angry mob saves 8 pygmy sloths from captivity (video)
