Sloth Diary Aviarios del Caribe - 26 October 2010

Today I thought I'd introduce you to the sloths I care for each day. I'm responsible for 14 two toed sloths: Janet, Maggie, Andy, Willow, Fibo, Grace, Bently, Maddie, Sarita, Dulcinea, Bustah, Gypsy, Olivia and Avie. They are all really sweet, except when it rains. When it rains they get upset and swing their arms rapidly.

Janet is usually asleep when I enter her enclosure but she does respond to her name and I can get her to eat her food.

Janet eating a bean...

Maggie is really cheeky, she steals Janet's food if Janet is asleep and she always greets me when I enter her enclosure.

Maggie showing how to eat and practice her trapeze act at the same time, proving that sloths can multitask - go girl!

Andy is surrounded my females but it doesn't seem to bother him.

Andy eating his berros (you can see Oona behind him).

 Next is Willow. Willow is really sweet and very alert. She likes her food and never leaves a scrap.

Willow eating her greens...

 Next to Willow is Fibo. Fibo is a male sloth with a really cute beach towel for a blanket.

Fibo keeping a tight grip on his beach towel.

Grace is next. Grace is a real cutie. She likes to lick your hand and greet you at the door to her enclosure.

This is Grace on her way to greet me, she can move quickly for a sloth.

Next to Grace is Bently. Poor Bently is blind but manages quite well.

Bently eating his breakfast...

Maddie comes next she has the enclosure opposite Bently.

Maddie loves her purple towel, she is usually wrapped in it when she sleeps.

Sarita has the enclosure next to Maddie.

Sarita is a bit of a contortionist...

Dulcinea is Sarita's neighbour.

Dulcinea is practising her sword swallowing act...

Bustah (a male) has a sign outside his cage saying 'mas comida', which means more food.

Bustah with a mound of berros.

Gypsy is a gentle sloth who is very affectionate.

Gypsy checking that she has eaten all her berro leaves.

The last enclosure contains two sloths: Olivia and Avie. I have given them purple towels because they like to pinch the other sloths food before I have had chance to feed them.

Avie eating her bean and berro at the same time.

Olivia checking out her berros.

Costa Rica - Puerto Viejo - 17th October 2010

OK we've posted a few photos of some sloth antics but lets look what the volunteers do besides taking photos of sloths.

The Sloth Sanctuary runs on offical Sloth Time and the start of the Sloth Day for volunteers begins at 0600hrs; in these tropical climes there is good day light from 0530hrs.

There 2 species of sloth, Choloepus (two fingered forelimbs) and Bradypus (or three fingered forelimbs). Both species have three fingered hind limbs.

The first task is to clean and tidy each cage. These are large enough to allow each sloth easy movement and exercise, with a platform to sleep on and poles to exercise and gain access to the floor to allow a sloth to do what a sloth needs to do (about once a week at least).

Janelle cleaning Nala's cage, and tidying her blanket...

 Once the cleaning and tidying is done, we start sorting out the first feed of the day, string beans and berros. Berros are a non native green crop introduced by chinese immigrants (it's watercress really) despite being non native Sloths love them. The berros however need to be checked for infestation by small snails, poisonous to the Sloths.

...Siobhan sorting berros, not even stopping to pose...

...Vivian and Janelle sorting berros...

Once the berros leaves have been sorted and washed a portion of beans and berros is laid out for each mature resident Choloepus sloth. The Bradypus Species are fed Cecropia leaves (this is native to CR) and these are again checked for foreign bodies and unwanted insects and washed.



Once each portion has been set out the volunteers distribute the food and encourage the sloths to eat, although some require a little encouragement...

...whilst others do not, Pip and Poppy after 10 minutes frantic bean and berros  consumption.

 After this morning feed the volunteers get a break for breakfast (usually around 0800hrs ish).

After breakfast we return to pick up the babies for a "sloth walk" through the woods. This is an enrichment exercise to stimulate the sloths and get them used to the leaved plants, smells and sounds of the forest.

...Siobhan with Poco in the woods ....with his favourite soft toy...

The walking takes around 40 minutes including a play on the Jungle Gym...

.Now what do you want me to do? ..Stephanie doing her best refusal to move

 After walking the sloths,  volunteers get a rest until 1100hrs and then its time to peel and chip carrots and camotes (camotes are a type of sweet potato)...

...Janelle,Paula, Siobhan and Vivian, not even stopping to pose whilst cutting potatotes....

...Darren the camote chipper...

 By the time all the peeling and chipping is done its midday and time for dinner....this is a long break until 1400hrs. This allows time for the carrots and camotes to be bolied and softened, and for volunteers to catch up on some shuteye.
Once this has been done we dish out the sloths food onto plates...

...the blond bombshells plan their moves to hijack some food without the volunteers noticing....

With the plates filled with carrots, camotes and a little dogfood (cereal based). the second feed of the day can begin...

...Oona showing us how dinner is best consumed sloth styleeee...

This final feed of the day finsihes around three and the sloths are left in peace to enjoy and sleep off their energy.

Sloth food has been lovingly prepared and served with good humour all round by the following humans...

...from left to right...Vivian, Eva, Janelle, Siobhan ( at the front), Jan (behind Sio), Darren, Paula, and old red knees himself - Paul.

Costa Rica - Puerto Viejo - 13th Oct

Hurray we have a day off from sloth duties, so no 0530 hrs alarm call, instead we have an 0600 hrs alarm call.
The reason for this small change is that we have to catch the bus into Cahuita to choose a tour or trip to occupy us for the day.

Cahuita international bus station

We went to "Willies Tours" (that's right get all the giggling over with now), and booked a few hours kayaking on the sea and in the rivers.
The Kayak guy (Rene) wasn't free 'til twelve so we had a look around downtown Cahuita

...Downtown Cahuita...

So when we'd done that after 5 minutes we decided that Paul needed a haircut...

...Nervous me, never...I've got nothing to lose...

Then when that had been done after 5 minutes we went to look at the beach which runs into Cauhita National Park...

...water temp about 25 C...

...One of the many local crabs fishing on the shore line; they are not fussy about whose home they move into...and they are
 very very quick runners.

We bumped into Rene back at Willies downtown HQ and we went to pick up the kayaks at his neighbours. There was a slipway leading out to sea, but we had to negotiate a narrow rock sided channel just under the water. Rene said he would guide from shore, but he did not know his left from his right so we just clipped the rocks. The paddle across the bay, you saw above, took about 25 minutes or so and then we dragged the kayaks across the sand to a lagoon to do some wildlife watching and generally getting caught up in the undergrowth and sunburnt.

A local resident. Some kind of Heron, didn't stop to ask his name. ( Chris can you help out here??).

 Some experienced kayakers we bumped into....

No through creek? Not for these two intrepid fools.....got grounded on a log later....

Spot the Howler Monkey resting in the heat of the day on a liana...

OK this is the same Howler Monkey but can you spot the Ringed Kingfisher (about 16 inches long)....

OK same Howler Monkey different photo, but can you spot the small rarely seen feckawe centipede in this photo?...... only kidding

This is a juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron.....obviously and hopelessly misunderstood that Costa Rica does not use Daylight saving time so he is up during the day, crazy fool.....

 And this is a Hermit Crab scutlling for cover, he's counting the grains of sand on the beach

Anyway enough nonsense, as if we weren't tired or sunburn't enough, Rene our guide and his son Rene, persuaded us to kayak back across the bay full into the onshore breeze. Well 40 minutes later we crashed onto the slipway, v tired. The waves were approaching a 2-3  sea state which made life interesting and a little adventurous; however as you approach land these get a little more unruly and made our landing onto a convenient 45 degree slipway difficult to say the least. Nevertheless we made it.

 A great day out though and a bit different from sloth wrangling  - Cahuita, Pura Vida.


Will add some more sloth antics tomorrow, Keep watching if you like and comment if you don't.

Costa Rica - Puerto Viejo - 10th October 2010

OK here we are blogging from the Aviarios Del Caribe Sloth Sanctuary, and we are resting a lot as you might imagine.
But it's not all play and no work you know. We have to be up by 0600 to start the cleaning and room service duties that these injured and orphaned perezosos have grown accustomed to and need after the drama in their lives.

There are nearly 100 sloths that reside here at Aviarios and they all need feeding, twice a day.

...Do I have to get up now?...(Moweli having well earned rest post sloth feeding)

 ...Do I have to get up now... ( Paula having a well earned rest post sloth feeding)

 Laylo on the poo stick...

 Ahhh!!!

 ...Can some one stop this crazy scales for me please, I want to get off... (Cosmo we think)

And the winner for best sloth in the Bradypus category is........(Sunshine and Sammy with Janelle and Eva)

 ...Sloth wrangling, let go of me straps....  (Madison tighten her grip on Siobhan)

 Oi cheeky, does my bum look big on this?...

 ...the view from the 'dock' at Aviarios....

 This is 'Millie' and this is her chair..which she loves as much as food....in between mealtimes...

 ...Feeding time...beanitos y berros...

 ...who put that stick there....  (spiderman einstein checking out the new environments)

 Humans do  sword swallowing, sloths do bean swallowing... (pip just doing her sloth thing)

Keep watching if you want to see more sloth antics ;0)))))