Each year, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden provides its employees an opportunity to request financial support for in-situ wildlife conservation or conservation education projects through the Internal Conservation Grants Fund. This time, the Cincinnati Zoo will grant funding to projects that benefit wildlife conservation in Ohio, Zambia, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.

The project that will benefit wildlife in our country is entitled “A Comprehensive Conservation Action Plan for Two Sloth Species in Costa Rica,” and it is described as follows:

Costa Rica is home to two sloth species, both of which face threats due to human encroachment such as being hit by cars, attacked by dogs, and electrocuted on electric wires. They are one of the most common patients at wildlife rescue centers, including The Sloth Institute Costa Rica (TSI). The purpose of this project is to compare the behavior and ecology of sloths that TSI has rescued, rehabilitated and released with that of wild sloths, which will provide valuable information for determining the effectiveness of sloth rehabilitation and release programs. The study will inform future practices as well as educational programs aimed at improving human-sloth coexistence.

This is not the first time the Cincinnati Zoo has supported conservation of sloths in our country. Earlier this year, The Costa Rica Star reported on a special donation drive organized by the staff of this North American zoo:

The Cincinnati Zoo cares for Moe, a 16-year-old female two-toed sloth that lives in the Discovery Forest section of the facility; Moe is a very popular resident at the Zoo, and people who would like to contribute to her care and feeding as well as helping the Sloth Institute in Costa Rica can do so by purchasing a sloth t-shirt.

The sloth t-shirts sold by the Cincinnati Zoo are American Apparel tri-blend garments that come in sizes from YS to XXL. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Sloth Institute Costa Rica to help support their initiatives with research, rescue, rehab and release of Costa Rica’s native sloths. This campaign is hosted at Booster.com, an online platform dedicated to managing project designed to raise funds and awareness.