me seasonal streams, and temperatures are gradually increasing and becoming more extreme.
Tropical species are not prepared for these new, erratic weather patterns. They have evolved for millions of years in a relatively stable climatic environment and are therefore very vulnerable to even small changes in temperature and weather.
Sloths are unlike many other mammals because they are unable to regulate their own body temperature. This means that everything they do is dependent upon the weather. If it gets too cold outside, sloths can easily get hypothermia. If it gets too hot, they can overheat. Of particular concern right now in Costa Rica is the lack of rainfall. Sloths are being admitted into rescue centers all over South and Central America suffering from dehydration, and we are seeing a big increase in the number of sloths drinking from rivers.
What can be done?
It can be easy to feel hopeless and overwhelmed – but we must never underestimate the power that we all have in our day-to-day actions (check out this list of 7 simple ways that you can help sloths today from the comfort of your own home).
The Great Green Wall is a shining example of the change that can be accomplished on a local, regional and continental scale.
Coming together to enact change is necessary to redirect our resources in a way that will sustain many future generations of life on this planet. Starting a clothes exchange among your friends, reducing your consumption of animal products and lobbying your local politicians to redirect food subsidies to sustainable agriculture are a few powerful examples of ways that we can all help to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Here at SloCo we are working hard to protect the sloth’s green rainforest home. Every month we grow thousands of ‘sloth-friendly’ trees in our SloCo forest nursery and we plant them in disturbed areas where habitat loss is threatening the survival of wild sloths. These trees not only help to fight climate change, but they also provide food and shelter for sloths!
Helping sloths and people, one tree at a time.