Raising environmental awareness is a huge part of Slothino’s identity as an eco-conscious casino brand. Bringing awareness to sloth conservation and the endangerment these animals face is one of our goals. Two of the six remaining sloth species are under threat. The pygmy three-toed sloth is classified as a critically endangered species, with just a population just under 100 individuals. Giant ground sloths were already hunted to extinction between 10,000 and 5,000 years ago, leaving only the arboreal species. And their habitat is significantly decreasing, which leaves many of them shelterless and vulnerable to predators. Since sloths move really slow, they also risk being run over by passing cars. In heavily deforested areas, sloths need to climb down from trees in order to get to another, rather than just swinging between branches. Occasionally, they will rely on electrical wires as a bridge, which often leads to incidents as well.
However, the situation isn’t all gloom-and-doom: trusted organizations are doing their part in raising awareness and helping with sloth conservation. We listed some of them to help you learn more about this important cause.
The Sloth Conservation Foundation
The Sloth Conservation Foundation, or SloCo for short, is based in Costa Rica. A non-profit organization, SloCo was founded back in 2016 by British zoologist and sloth researcher Dr. Rebecca Cliffe. After studying these fascinating animals for over a decade, Dr. Cliffe decided to help dealing with the many dangers presented to these species.
SloCo helps with sloth conservation in many different ways. It promotes reforestation of disturbed areas, planting and growing sloth-friendly trees. This way, it helps preserve the sloth’s habitat. Other than this, SloCo also works closely with local communities. Educating the younger population about the importance of sloth conservation is key towards creating an environmental-friendly culture. The Foundation also conducts scientific research on sloths. These studies also provide a better understanding of the species, which also helps with the conservation effort.
The Sloth Institute
The Sloth Institute, or TSI, is another non-profit organization based in Costa Rica. Founded by Sam Trull and Seda Sejud in 2013, TSI’s mission is to expand the welfare and conservation of sloths. In order to achieve this objective, its approach is centered on research, education and conservation.
TSI conducts research on wild sloths, captive sloths and released sloths. This way, it is able to gather more information on these fascinating animals, which is very important to help with the conservation effort. The Sloth Institute also works closely with local communities, educating about the importance of sloths and raising awareness. TSI’s conservation efforts also stop human encroachment from threatening the sloth’s habitat.
It’s also important to mention that TSI helps raising sloths and also treating injured ones, releasing them back into the wild. Other than that, The Sloth Institute builds “sloth speedways”, rope bridges connecting trees in deforested areas. This way, sloths can safely cross from one tree to another.
Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica
The Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica is one of the oldest sloth-only organizations in the world. It was founded in 1992 by Luis and Judy Avey-Arroyo. The story is somewhat unusual: the couple helped raise an orphaned baby sloth, named Buttercup. Five years later, in 1997, the property was formally recognized as a sloth rescue center. Since then, the Sloth Sanctuary has worked on raising awareness about sloth conservation. It also continues on its mission to rescue, rehabilitate, research and even release sloths back into the wild whenever possible.
Buttercup remained as the sanctuary’s symbol until passing away in 2019. The Sloth Sanctuary continues to take care of sloths until this day, having taken in over 700 sloths. It has also released over 100 sloths. Thanks to all its hard work over the last two decades, the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica is considered a worldwide reference for sloth research.
WWF
The largest environmental conservation organization in the world, the WWF (short for World Wide Fund for Nature) also has an important role in sloth conservation. WWF works on raising awareness about the importance of sloths for the environment. Not only that, but it also works closely with local communities to step up the conservation efforts. It has also worked closely with government agencies in order to expand forest areas. This way, the WWF is able to expand the sloth’s habitat, keeping them away from harm.
Sloths have been around for millions of years. It’s absolutely vital that conservation efforts continue in order to keep these little and fascinating animals around. Slothino will continue to raise awareness as an eco-conscious brand. Come hang around with us for some gameplay and chill. Stay a while, Play a while!
