The Long Journey of Arthur to His Next Tree
We venture outside to work on our field projects daily, armed with binoculars, necessary equipment, and appropriate clothing (especially during the rainy season). On one such day, while monitoring some of the sloths, we observed a wild sloth climbing down from his tree.
Initially, we were excited, thinking this sloth, who we momentarily named Arthur, was coming down for his weekly defecation—a prime time for us to collect poop samples. However, he didn’t. Instead, he started to move away from his tree.
We were in a highly disturbed area, recently cleared by a backhoe parked to the side. Arthur, unable to switch trees through the canopy, had to climb down and traverse the ground to reach another tree.
Sloths are adapted to life in the treetops, so being on the ground exposes them to dangers like dog attacks or roadkills. We watched as Arthur began his perilous journey across the clear terrain.
Dr. Cliffe approached to document Arthur’s progress. Realizing he was now too close and heading in her direction, she stayed seated and still to avoid disturbing him. Arthur passed by her, completely ignoring her presence, focused solely on reaching his next tree.
Considering their leaf-based diet, sloths have limited energy reserves. Arthur was expending a significant amount of energy on this journey, navigating a pile of rocks in his path. Thankfully, the tree he was aiming for was getting closer.
You might wonder why we didn’t intervene. We prefer to step aside and let the sloth carry on unless a dangerous situation arises. Arthur was determinedly crossing the land; he knew where he was going.
Instead of simply relocating sloths to trees—an impossible task for every individual sloth—we focus on making their urbanized habitats safer. We’ve created a grid of 240 Sloth Crossing Canopy Bridges and planted over 7,000 trees to reforest gardens and properties. We also support local organizations working to prevent wildlife attacks by dogs, among many other community-based conservation initiatives.
It’s not fair that Arthur and other wildlife face the dangers of civilization: electrocutions, dog attacks, roadkills, or human exploitation. But there are ways to fix this. We’ve been working to create a peaceful coexistence between sloths and humans in the past years, but our task is far from over. Thankfully, we have an amazing community and incredible supporters like you behind us!
And because it’s the giving season, it’s also the perfect opportunity to make a gift to your loved ones, yourself, and wild sloths like Arthur. You can adopt a sloth or shop from our sloth store, knowing that the proceeds fund our conservation and research projects.
Eventually, Arthur reached his tree. He swung a bit on the vines before climbing to the top, disappearing into the dense canopy. He probably enjoyed some leaves and a well-deserved rest after his long journey.
-Cecilia Pamich
Communications & Outreach
