When Dogs Meets Sloths
How are dogs related to sloths?
From an evolutionary perspective, sloths and dogs are very far apart. But they do share a few things in common. Both are mammals. Both are deeply loved by people all over the world. And here in our small town on the South Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, they also share something else: they have to coexist.
Today’s story shows exactly what that looks like.
Camila, Bahia, and Paco
Camila is a local resident. She has her own dogs, but she also works as a pet sitter and dog walker. She is a behavioral dog trainer through her project, Brigada Ringo, which is a very important detail for this story.
One afternoon, Camila went for a walk with her dog Bahia and a dog she is currently training, Paco, who needs socialization. The trio headed to one of the most beautiful beaches in the country, Punta Uva. Along the access road, there’s a small river where sloths are often spotted drinking water or doing their weekly bathroom trip (If you’ve seen the viral sloth videos, chances are they were filmed here!). Finding a sloth here is not rare.
This time, they encountered a two-fingered sloth perched on a leafless almond tree. Bahia is well-trained not to attack wildlife, something all responsible pet owners should encourage in areas like ours.
This is what coexistence looks like. Of course, dogs are curious, but Bahia keeps her distance.
For Camila, this was also a chance to observe how Paco would react. It turns out he was curious too, but calm. The sloth was safe, high in the branches, far from the other roaming dogs on the beach.
But here is the reality. Sloths are often found crawling on the ground, especially in urbanized and fragmented habitats where they are forced to descend to move between trees. And that is when they become vulnerable to untrained, prey-driven dogs.
Just last year, the local rescue center received more than 100 wild animals injured in attacks by dogs or cats.
Conservation is often about education. We talk about educating people, but we rarely talk about educating our pets.
Us humans and our companion animals put tremendous pressure on wildlife. If we truly believe in coexistence, then that responsibility includes our dogs and cats too.
Dog Days Are Forever
Every month, we help fund the spaying and neutering of 10 rescued dogs in town, in partnership with Puerto Viejo Dogs and Dra. Solano & Cia Veterinary Clinic. Roaming and abandoned dogs are another challenge we face locally. And while we deeply care about their welfare, unmanaged dog populations are also a direct threat to sloths, and a situation we must address.
If you love sloths and dogs, you can support the work we do to protect both, whether it is a one-time donation or, even better, a monthly gift, you are helping us make this coexistence possible!
