Photo Story

   Costa Rica’s Sloth Sanctuary; Why  U.S. Citizens Are to Blame

https://www.slothsanctuary.com/  

¡Bue­na Vida! It is com­mon to trav­el to La For­tu­na, Cos­ta Rica since it is known for its tourist loca­tions. Vis­it­ing the Sloth Sanc­tu­ary is a favorite for U.S. cit­i­zens. The first sloth res­cue in Cos­ta Rica was found­ed in 1992 and has been there ever since. Although this is an enjoy­able way to see the Sloths and exot­ic crea­tures, there is con­tro­ver­sy on whether U.S Cit­i­zens should be allowed in the tour sites any­more. Here’s Why. 

Accord­ing to the tour guide, Sebas­t­ian Rodriguez, the Sloth tours depend on the type of tour done and where it is booked; it can be any­where from $30 to 150 per per­son. The tour includes walk­ing around the Sloth’s home qui­et­ly and tak­ing images of them sleep­ing or in their nat­ur­al habi­tat. The rea­son U.S Cit­i­zens are deemed poor guests when vis­it­ing this sanc­tu­ary is due to the lit­ter­ing and ram­bunc­tious talking.

Sebas­t­ian Rodriguez told a sto­ry about a group of U.S tourists that were tak­en up the Sloth trail and were kick­ing mud up in the air. “They had to be about 16 years old with their par­ents behind them pay­ing no mind,” said Sebastian.

Rodriguez is in col­lege for tourism because it is said that it makes the most mon­ey in Cos­ta Rica. He works for the Sloth Sanc­tu­ary as well as Mys­tic Rivers which is anoth­er tour site close to the area. “These sloths deserve to live in peace and not have to hear Amer­i­cans yelling at the top of their lungs,” said Sebas­t­ian. Although, Cos­ta Ricans prof­it from show­cas­ing their exot­ic ani­mals, the rea­son for hav­ing this sanc­tu­ary is to keep the Sloths safe.