We are so excited to be working with The Sloth Institute in Costa Rica! This incredible organisation is focused on rescuing, rehabilitating & ultimately releasing sloths back into the wild. Their research is vital for improving the welfare of sloths and increasing their chances of survival once released back into their natural habitat.

During their rehabilitation programme, young sloths, who have often been orphaned, go through a school-like programme of learning. They need to learn vital skills, that their mothers would have taught them, such as how to eat & climb.  They also need to learn social skills, develop confidence & a desire to explore their surroundings in a safe way.

So far The Sloth Institute has rescued & studied 400 sloths and they continue to work tirelessly to help sloths & to improve their chances of survival. Tracking devices on released sloths enable the researchers to find them, check-in on their general health & to see how they're getting along within their wild sloth communities.

If you would like to find out more, make a donation or adopt a sloth, please click below.  The Sloth Institute welcomes all donations, no matter how big or small. 

Meet Grogu, a three-fingered sloth who was rescued when she was only a couple of days old. She was with her mother, who had died a while before they were discovered. When Grogu was found she was covered in fly eggs & was dehydrated. Over the next year she was cared for & rehabilitated, learning what to eat & practising her climbing skills. She did so well and began gaining weight quickly.

The Sloth Institute has a special Sloth School Program, which young sloths take part in, with a number of stages to progress through. They’re taught vital skills such as how to socialise & how to climb. They often make friends with other young sloths and enjoy each other’s company during their learning.

Grogu did amazingly well during her rehabilitation & is now enjoying her life, back out in the wild where she belongs.

She arrived at The Sloth Institute as a tiny newborn weighing just 275g, but by the time she was released she was over 3kg!  We are so thrilled to hear she is doing so well back in her natural habitat.

Kamala was rescued when she was a baby, having fallen from a tree.  Rescuers couldn’t find her mother so they brought her back to examine her.

She had suffered from a concussion from the fall and had an ulcer on one of her eyelids. She has been cared for and weaned from milk now.  The rehabilitation team are still monitoring her diet and helping to ensure that one day she can be released back into the wild.

During her rehabilitation she will be encouraged to socialise with other sloths and to make friends. She will learn the skills she needs to survive in her natural habitat, back in the trees where she belongs. After such an unlucky start, we are very hopeful that Kamala will go on to lead a long & healthy life, thanks to the wonderful & caring team at TSI. 

Meet Eric - an adult three-fingered sloth who was rescued by The Sloth Institute in 2019.  Eric was found lying on the ground, unable to move.  He’d fallen in the forest and broken his arm on a metal surface.  Unfortunately it was a really bad break and the bone had become infected.  The team tried to save his arm, but their attempts were unsuccessful & sadly they had to amputate.

The rehabilitation program at TSI have managed to retrain amputee sloths and have a tracking system in place to see how they manage when released back into the wild. They were worried about releasing Eric, especially because male sloths can be involved in more physical fights than females - when trying to protect their territory & mating rights.  But they wanted to give Eric the chance to return to the wild.

Amazingly the tracking system has shown that Eric is thriving back in his natural habitat! He has actually become the dominant male sloth at the release site, being undefeated in his battles with the other males. Regular sightings of Eric with females show he is healthy & strong, showing that a sloth with just one arm can live a happy & successful life again! 

Meet Timmy - a two-fingered sloth who was found with his mother. Timmy’s mother had been electrocuted and was badly injured. The vet team at The Sloth Institute tried to save Timmy’s mother’s life, even resorting to amputating one of her arms, but sadly she was too poorly and didn’t survive.

Timmy was looked after by the TSI team and we are pleased to say he is now thriving! He made a friend - another orphaned sloth called Julian. The two of them spend all their time together & have learned crucial socialisation skills during their rehabiliation. One day Timmy will be ready to be released into the wild, having been taught how to survive in his natural habitat.

The Sloth Institute believes in rehabilitation & release and they have a special Sloth School Program which teaches the sloths how to bond with each other & how to survive on their own.

This amazing organisation is preparing Timmy for his return to the wild & we can’t wait to see the rest of his journey.