sloth Archives - The Sloth Institute Save A Sloth, Save A Tree, Safe A Forest Fri, 15 Oct 2021 19:57:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 The Sloth Freedom Project https://stage.theslothinstitute.org/2017/04/22/sloth-freedom-project/ https://stage.theslothinstitute.org/2017/04/22/sloth-freedom-project/#comments Sat, 22 Apr 2017 18:59:28 +0000 http://stage.theslothinstitute.org/?p=1243 Definition of Freedom – “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.” One of the main tenants of The Sloth Institute is to improve the welfare of sloths.  Providing proper enrichment and wild foods are a great way to improve the lives of captive sloths on their […]

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Definition of Freedom – “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.”

One of the main tenants of The Sloth Institute is to improve the welfare of sloths.  Providing proper enrichment and wild foods are a great way to improve the lives of captive sloths on their journey through rehabilitation.  But ultimately, there is no greater way to enhance a sloth’s welfare (or really any creature’s welfare) than by giving them their freedom.  

As humans, we are sometimes so arrogant to assume that other creatures aren’t smart enough, or aware enough to have desires beyond being well fed and safe but in reality the ability to make your own decisions creates feelings of relief that pass species boundaries. From a scientific perspective, the assets of freedom can be explained by detailing the benefits of a life in their natural environment. For example with sloths it is stressful to not live in a habitat where they can climb high and find adequate hiding locations. This behavioral desire can be explained by a need to avoid predators and find shelter in a storm, but what if it also just ‘feels right’? What if they have an ‘inexplainable’ urge to make decisions for themselves and there’s no scientific proof to make it valid? What is curiosity and why do so many creatures have this drive to explore? Sloths are curious and enjoy exploration and only freedom in a natural jungle environment can satisfy those needs.
With all of that said, the wild isn’t always a friendly place and there are certainly dangers that must be faced each day. But like with us, surmounting those challenges and conquering your fears leaves you with a feeling of satisfaction. Without facing challenges, even life threatening ones, you get bored. Sloths have a bad reputation of being lazy and stupid. Neither of those things are true, they are efficient and deliberate and they can get bored. It is our philosophy with the “Sloth Freedom Project” to encourage the best lives possible for each sloth that enters our program and we aim to give them the lives they deserve by providing them their freedom. Now of course it isn’t as simple as just putting them in a tree and saying, “good luck”! Each individual is different and the release process is time consuming and expensive and we are there to help them every step of the way.
As Colin Powell once said, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work”. Our dream is to offer freedom to as many able-bodied sloths as possible, and the TSI team certainly works hard (and sweats a lot!). We’ve already seen this dream realized for sloths like Ellen, Kermie and Monster and our determination only grows stronger as we continue to chisel away at that giant mountain of hope for other sloths…waiting for their chance to be free.

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]]> https://stage.theslothinstitute.org/2017/04/22/sloth-freedom-project/feed/ 1 Two orphaned hand raised sloths 1st step in their journey back home.. the big release, part 1. https://stage.theslothinstitute.org/2015/09/21/two-orphaned-hand-raised-sloths-1st-step-in-their-journey-back-home-the-big-release-part-1/ https://stage.theslothinstitute.org/2015/09/21/two-orphaned-hand-raised-sloths-1st-step-in-their-journey-back-home-the-big-release-part-1/#respond Mon, 21 Sep 2015 20:15:36 +0000 http://stage.theslothinstitute.org/?p=482 Ellen & Kermie getting ready for the big release The time has come. Every time another sloth is rescued I make them a promise. For Kermie and Ellen. I promised them that I would never stop trying to get them safely and responsibly released. Today we are fulfilling a HUGE part of that promise, what […]

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Ellen & Kermie getting ready for the big release

The time has come. Every time another sloth is rescued I make them a promise. For Kermie and Ellen.

I promised them that I would never stop trying to get them safely and responsibly released. Today we are fulfilling a HUGE part of that promise, what we are calling “the big release” and I couldn’t be more excited! A little over a year ago, together with Seda we founded The Sloth Institute (TSI).

Since origination, the exact vision of TSI has evolved based on resources and need but the main purpose has always been to increase knowledge and welfare for sloths. Our first project and goal has been to create an amazing release for the orphaned babies that I have spent the past three years of my life caring for. Seeing these tiny little creatures, recently orphaned, grow and learn is amazing…but then what? How do we get them back into the forest where they belong when they’ve learned most of what they know from humans? The answer is: we are not entirely sure…but what we are sure of…is that we have to try and that we will document every step of the way.
Today begins that process of returning Ellen and Kermie to the wild. They will be transferred to a large (6x6x6m) cage nestled in the beach front jungle of Tulemar’s maritime zone property located in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. While inside the cage Kermie and Ellen will have a chance to climb and explore while getting used to their new environment. After about a month or two, we will open the sloth sized door to the cage so that Ellen and Kermie are free to leave! They will still have access to the cage and food that we provide inside of the cage but they will finally get to decide if they want to be inside or not!
The soft release cage

We hope, that over time they will gradually find more and more food and shelter outside of the cage and we can stop helping them…. but this will all be done at their pace and when they are ready. Additionally, both Ellen and Kermie are fitted with VHF tracking collars which will enable the TSI research team to track them no matter where they go in the jungle and ensure that they are ok and record their behaviors and food choices in the forest. While tracking Ellen and Kermie we will also take data on wild sloths in the same area to have a comparison of what Ellen and Kermie should be doing when outside of the cage.

As excited as I am for this next step for Ellen and Kermie…I am also very nervous. This could be a complete failure and they may never really learn how to live in the forest again. That is definitely my biggest fear and we truly have no idea how what will happen. The only thing I am sure of is that now they have a chance…and that we have literally done EVERYTHING we could possibly do to make it the best chance possible. Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported us along the way! Please stay tuned for more updates as we go on this journey with Ellen and Kermie and the big release! #thebigrelease #helpusgobackhome #slothlove

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