Sloths are in; if you look at Instagram, there are countless selfies with this endangered species. Yes, these toothless mammals, which are related to anteaters and armadillos, are too cute. And nobody suspects that the supposed smile of these wild animals is due to slack facial muscles. Sloths have no reason to be happy when you pick them up in your arms to pose with them. Today, sloths urgently need to be protected, even though not all of the six species still alive are endangered.
In the meantime, there is already the World Sloth Day on October 20to draw more attention to these endangered animals. And there are countless funds dedicated to saving sloths through donations. We are happy to support one of these organizations. One euro from every FAULI toy sold goes to the Stg Green Heritage Fund Suriname, the only sloth rescue center in Suriname, created by sloth conservationist Monique Pool. Or as sloth Sid from Ice Age would say: "Money, money, money" for a good cause.
Sloths in Suriname suffer from legal deforestation
Suriname, where is that anyway? Roughly speaking, it's a small state in the north of South America with just over half a million inhabitants, most of whom live in the capital, Paramaribo. Otherwise, the landscape is dominated by wild jungle - a perfect place for sloths to hang out. Whether two-fingered or three-fingered, life in the jungle is good here. Unfortunately, Suriname is also affected by deforestation. Up to seven percent of the rainforest here can be cleared for officially permitted construction projects.
The problem for the sloths is that they are usually very adapted to the food available in their region and learn what they are allowed to eat as young. This makes it difficult to relocate them deeper into the jungle. By the way: the fact that sloths are regarded as lazy and sluggish is due to their special metabolism, where a week can pass between eating and excreting food. The supposed sluggishness has the advantage that they camouflage themselves for enemies such as snakes, jaguars and eagles and also save energy, which is advisable with low-energy leaves as their main food source.
What else do sloths have in common with our favorites, the dogs? They both like to sleep a lot. The sloth usually sleeps for more than two thirds of the day.
A sloth as a pet or selfie motif is a no-go
Would you have known it: around 10,000 to 20,000 years ago, a giant sloth even lived on our planet. It was about as big and heavy as an elephant is today. In 2020, there are only six species of sloth left in the world (there used to be 100)mostly around 60 cm tall and weighing around five to six kilograms. The three-fingered pygmy sloth is already threatened with extinction and the three-fingered sloth is considered an endangered species. Why is a distinction made between two-fingered and three-fingered sloths? Quite simply because there are two species with two fingers at the front and four species with three fingers on the front extremities. All species have three toes at the rear.
Despite the danger, there are people today who like to keep sloths as pets. Because they think they are cute or want to show them off to friends. A trend that is not good for the wild animals. Captivity is a death sentence for these cute jungle dwellers, which is almost always unavoidable once they have fallen ill. Accordingly, some of the residents of the sloth rescue centers are former pets that were given up by their owners after being reported by neighbors for fear of punishment. Also hard to believe: Sloths are even on some people's menus.
The selfies with sloths or baby sloths circulating online may be cute, but they are no fun for the animals. Whenever you are offered a sloth for a selfie on vacation, thankfully decline and report it to the local authorities.
The sloth rescue center in Suriname has been in existence since 2005
Monique Pool is actually a translator and continues to do so today. However, she is primarily passionate about caring for sloths and anteaters and other endangered species in Suriname. She nurses young animals that have lost their mothers with a baby bottle so that they can be released back into the wild when they are strong and big enough, preferably in the Saramacca River region. Each region must be chosen carefully, as sloths are solitary animals apart from mating and rearing children. As a good two to four animals now have to be rescued every week, every place for reintroduction must be well chosen. We at SABRO are happy to support this level of commitment.
The Fauli dog toy: a sloth that does good
Our plush sloth Fauli looks as cute as the real thing and is happy to help rescue his real-life counterparts. SABRO donates one euro from every one sold to Monique Pool's sloth rescue center. With its long limp arms, it is ideal for any dog, a great playmate and a super gift for dog owner friends.
We hope that Fauli will make lots of new friends and do a lot of good in Suriname. And of course, Fauli is also perfect for a selfie.
How do you like our Fauli? Which endangered species do you like to stand up for? Maybe the pangolin? Tell us in the comments.