Tales from the Jungle | January 2026
January is *usually* the slowest month for us at SloCo.
It’s the time when the team gently finds its rhythm again after the holidays, family visits, and a bit of very well-earned rest. We plan, we strategise, we set intentions for the year ahead. Here on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, January also has a kind of “winter” feeling… darker skies, steady rain, and long afternoons that gently suggest slowing down rather than charging outside.
That said… life had other plans.
Instead of easing into 2026, we seem to have launched straight into it at full speed. January came in with a bang, and the momentum shows no signs of slowing. There’s a lot unfolding behind the scenes, and we’ve got a genuinely good feeling about the year ahead.
So, here’s your January recap from the jungle
Strategy *Week* (Yes, a Whole Week)
We usually start the year with a full-team strategy *day* - a chance to reflect on what worked (and what really didn’t), and to set goals for the year ahead.
This year… one day wasn’t going to cut it.
Deily, the Connected Gardens manager, showing the goals for 2026 to the team
With so many projects in motion, we needed an entire **strategy week**. That’s good news for sloths, because 2026 is shaping up to be our most ambitious year yet, and one that we hope will translate into real, tangible protection for wild sloths on the ground.
20 Canopy Bridges for Maned Sloths in Brazil
This month, we renewed our partnership with our colleagues at Instituto Preguiça-de-Coleira in Bahia, Brazil, and with it, we expanded our Connected Gardens project internationally for the very first time.
Using what we’ve learned here in Costa Rica as a scalable model, we will be supporting the installation of 20 canopy bridges to help protect the endangered northern maned sloth in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. This region has lost more than 90% of its original forest cover, making it one of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth.Partnerships like this are a nice reminder that conservation is stronger when knowledge, experience, and effort cross borders.
Stronger Together Against the Sloth Trade
January also saw us teaming up with our friends at The Sloth Institute to launch a campaign addressing a new attraction in Orlando, Florida, called Sloth World. Marketed as ethical and conservation-focused, the reality is far more troubling. The 40+ sloths they have on display were captured from the wild in Guyana and Peru and transported through the Port of Miami for exhibition.
If you missed the discussions on social media, we have published a detailed blog breaking down why this matters, and why attractions like this pose serious risks to sloth conservation worldwide.
Help us spread the word and stand with us against the exploitation of sloths for profit.
When Science Doesn’t Go as Planned
Not every conservation story has a neat or happy ending.
This month, we had to say goodbye to one of our Eternal Sloths, the much-loved Tender. As he reached adulthood, Tender began exploring beyond his familiar home range and entered a private property. Despite repeated efforts, we were denied access by the landowners, and his collar signal later behaved in a way that strongly suggests it was removed.
Situations like this are one of the hardest realities of urban wildlife research. They’re not new to us, and they never get easier.
You can read Tender’s full story, and the details of his final monitoring days, on our blog.
Welcoming Tango, Tender’s Little Brother
But January also brought new beginnings.
This month, we welcomed Tango into our monitoring family. The first time we ever saw him, he was a tiny baby clinging to his mother’s belly. Like Tender, Tango is a true urban sloth, born and raised among people, roads, and buildings. He’s now part of our research programme, and you can symbolically adopt him to follow his journey through GPS tracking data and field updates.
Tango is already making impressions!
Team Sloth Is Expanding
With so many exciting plans unfolding this year (more on that in our upcoming annual report), we’re currently searching for a new person to join Team Sloth. If all goes to plan, we’ll be introducing you to a new face very soon 👀
The Month of Love Begins
As February approaches, so does the month of love. If you’re looking for a meaningful gift for someone special, a symbolic sloth adoption is a beautiful way to show it.
Get ready for Kokomo’s comeback!
You can dedicate the adoption, schedule an e-card, and download a full adoption pack to print and give in person, all while directly supporting the protection of wild sloths and their habitats.
Slow, thoughtful, and full of heart. Just like the animals we work to protect.
As always, thank you for being part of this journey and for choosing to stand with us. Your support allows us to keep showing up, asking careful questions, learning from the sloths, and turning that knowledge into meaningful conservation action.
We are happy to have you with us as we step into the year ahead! Let’s go!
All the best from the jungle,
