February 2025 | Tales From The Jungle
February flew by in a blur of new sloths, record-breaking census days, and even a little Italian TV fame! But before we dive headfirst into March, let’s take a moment to look back at all the jungle excitement.
A New Sloth to Track! Meet Pipa
Last week, we introduced you to Pipa, a young two-fingered sloth living in the primary forest here in the South Caribbean of Costa Rica. She’s joining our growing group of sloths from undisturbed habitats, alongside George, Misty, and Selvina from La Selva Biological Station Reserve.
Unlike our La Selva sloths – who wore fancy GPS collars that automatically detached after a few months – Pipa is sporting a VHF collar with a data logger. This means our tracking team will be out every single day, monitoring her movements and gathering important data on her behaviour and habitat use. Stay tuned for updates!
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The Great Sloth Census: Big News!
Big things are happening in our sloth census project! This month, we added two new census sites, but the real highlight was February 13th – a record-breaking survey day! Here’s how the numbers stacked up:
- Drones detected 7 sloths (5 two-fingered, 2 three-fingered).
- Observers spotted 14 sloths (9 two-fingered, 5 three-fingered).
- Keysha the detection dog found 7 fresh sloth poop piles – much to the delight of the research team responsible for collecting and carefully drying them in our very special ‘poop drying oven’ (because science requires sacrifices)
Team Sloth really does have the best jobs!
But alongside the excitement, some big changes are coming: Keysha, our beloved Sloth Scat Detection Dog, is retiring after three incredible years of helping us find sloth poop for scientific analysis.
Finding a replacement is no small task – just like humans, not every dog is suited for the job, and they also have to match our team. The good news is that we are already halfway there. We have found the perfect human – now we just need to find the perfect dog to join her.
Meet Olivia, Our Newest Team Member
Olivia is joining the team to train and work with our next Sloth Scat Detection Dog. She has a degree in Applied Terrestrial and Marine Ecology and a background in working with abused and aggressive dogs.
She has also worked on wildlife bridge installations (she is a trained tree climber), mammal population monitoring in Corcovado National Park, butterfly studies in the Costa Rican highlands, and environmental education programs for kids – so we are VERY happy to welcome her to Team Sloth.
Right now, Olivia is shadowing Tamara, Keysha’s current handler, and together, they are on the hunt for the perfect new detection dog. They have already met three rescued puppies this month, but the search continues!
Connected Gardens: Sloths on the Move!
This month, we planted 128 trees and installed four new Sloth Crossing canopy bridges – but the real stars of the show were the animals using them!
One of our favorite moments was watching a three-fingered sloth take a stroll across the bridge we installed at an accommodation fittingly called Sloth House. Before this bridge, sloths had to risk crawling through the garden to get from tree to tree – now, they have a safe, elevated route through the canopy, just as nature intended.
We share footage of these crossings all the time on social media, so if you’re not following us yet – what are you waiting for? And if you want to help more sloths stay off the ground, you can sponsor a bridge or make a donation to support our connectivity efforts.
Sloths Go to Prime Time in Italy!
Our Italian ambassador, Carlotta Rech, an ethologist and longtime SloCo collaborator, hopped on a high-speed train to Rome to appear on Geo 3, one of Italy’s top nature and wildlife programs. She spoke about sloth tourism, the impact of human encounters, and the conservation challenges sloths face in Costa Rica.
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We are so proud to have passionate ambassadors like Carlotta spreading awareness and advocating for sloths worldwide!
Thank You for Being Part of This Journey
None of this would be possible without YOU! Whether you have donated, shared our work, followed our updates, or just cheered us on from afar, you’re part of this movement to protect sloths and their rainforest home.
Together, we’re building bridges – both literal and figurative – to create a safer, healthier future for sloths. We can’t wait to share more updates with you next month!
Dr. Rebecca Cliffe
Founder and Executive Director
