May 2025 | Tales From The Jungle
Welcome to the fifth Tales from the Jungle of the year – and this one’s packed. Some of it is good news. Some of it… let’s just say it builds character. But as always, we’re committed to transparency, so this update brings you the wins, the setbacks, and everything in between.
And we’re starting with a dog.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Mila’s Journey Ends, and a New Chapter Begins
Do you remember sweet Mila – the Keysha look-alike we were training as our next sloth scat detection dog? After weeks of training and testing, we made the tough call that Mila just isn’t the right fit for detection work. It’s something you can’t predict at the start – it takes time, patience, and a lot of hours in the jungle to figure out.
In the end, Mila had one fatal flaw: she really loves chasing agoutis, an adorable rodent species from the jungle. A good detection dog needs to stay focused, even when there are distractions – and agoutis, apparently, are just too tempting.
Meanwhile, the legendary Keysha is still very much on the job… but not for long. She’ll soon be taking a well-deserved break – not because she’s retiring, but because her handler, Tamara, is going on maternity leave! That’s right: Team SloCo is expecting a tiny new addition. Congratulations, Tamara!
And no worries – the Great Sloth Census continues! While detection dogs are incredible, this pause gives us a rare scientific opportunity: comparing the effectiveness of our three detection methods – dogs, drones, and human observers. José and the team are pressing ahead with fieldwork, and we’ll be sharing a full blog soon with early findings from this one-of-a-kind study.
The Inner Friends of Sloths (Yes, We Mean Parasites)
This month, we co-authored a new research paper with Brown University exploring gastrointestinal parasites in sloths across urban and primary forest habitats. The results were fascinating, and honestly a little gross. Just how we like it. We’ve broken it down in a blog post that’s easier on the stomach than the lab work was.
Visits from Friends: Fahlo in the Field!
We were thrilled to host our partners from Fahlo this month! Not only do they help fund our work, but they also delivered two brand-new GPS collars that we willl use to monitor primary-forest-dwelling sloths.
As the Urban Sloth Project expands deeper into remote undisturbed rainforests, these collars will give us essential insights into how wild sloths move when they aren’t navigating roads, wires, or rooftops. Keep an eye on our channels – and Fahlo’s – for updates from the field!
Adoption Program Upgrade: Live from the Jungle
Our symbolic sloth adoptions just got a major upgrade. Now, when you adopt a sloth, you’ll get GPS access and updates straight from the jungle. This month’s update theme is Motherhood.
If you want to support sloth conservation in an adorable way, Luiza, Deborah, and Tender are waiting. Plus, our physical adoption packs are being phased out – so if you want one, now’s the time!
Adopt a Sloth
Connected Gardens: Sloths on the Move
In exciting field news, one of our camera traps captured super-sloth-mom Debbie crossing a canopy bridge with baby Mel on her belly. Yes, there was cheering in the office.
That same bridge has now been used by both sloth species, squirrels, kinkajous, and opossums. The forest is reconnecting, one branch at a time. If you want to help, you can sponsor a bridge or support our tree planting work.
This Is Not Pura Vida
This month we teamed up with Costa Rica’s leading wildlife organizations to tackle one of the biggest threats to sloths: electrocution.
Although a law was passed in February 2024 requiring power companies to identify and fix dangerous areas, enforcement has been weak. We’re now gathering 50,000 signatures to push for real solutions – insulated lines and more canopy bridges. No matter where you are, your voice matters.
Sign the petition
When Things Don’t Go to Plan…
Sometimes, things go wrong. And when they do, we have two choices: cry and despair… or laugh and learn. We usually choose the latter. So here’s your behind-the-scenes look at everything that went off the rails this month.
The Curse of the Census
We attempted surveys at four different sites. All four went sideways.
Keysha got disoriented.
The drone lost signal and fell out of the sky (miraculously, it survived).
The GPS failed completely, leaving the team wandering in circles.
We lost a walkie talkie
Torrential rain
Tropical cyclone
Venomous snake encounters? Why not.
Bridges Down
That same cyclone also took down one of our canopy bridges spanning a busy road. The Connected Gardens team shifted gears immediately, heading out to repair and reinforce bridges across the region.
GPS Collars: Great in Theory…
We were so excited about our brand-new GPS collars – but we so far haven’t managed to get them connected to the satellite network. Despite costing a cool $2,500 each, they are currently collecting zero data. We’re troubleshooting and we will get there eventually – it’s just taking a little longer than planned.
The Annual Report (Still Coming… at Sloth Speed)
Yes, it’s late. And yes, we’re working on it – sorry about that! Cecilia, who leads everything from content and education to fundraising and emergency sloth PR, has been wearing every hat imaginable this month (including the literal sloth one).
Fundraising has needed extra attention lately, with donations running a bit slower than usual – so we’ve had to shift focus temporarily to keep our projects moving forward. But the report is nearly there – just a few more tweaks, edits, and coffee-fueled review sessions to go.
Thank you for your patience – and for embracing the beautifully chaotic pace of small nonprofit life.
Thank You for Being With Us
Not one GPS collar, not one tree planted, not one sloth protected would be possible without you. Whether you’ve adopted, donated, signed a petition, or just read this far – thank you.
If you’re able to support our work this month, we would be deeply grateful. Every donation helps us protect sloths and reconnect their forest homes.
Until next time,
All the best from the jungle,
