The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, a 140-year old institution serving the State of Ohio, recently launched an initiative to spread awareness about conservation of the Bradypodidae family. The initiative also seeks to support The Sloth Institute, a wildlife research and rescue center located in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica.

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.

The Cincinnati Zoo offers the following description of sloths like Moe:

The sloth is not lazy, just slow. Instead of foraging all day long to get enough energy from the leaves it eats, the sloth conserves energy by being inactive. This requires few heavy muscles, making the sloth light enough to climb high on thin branches where it can feed without worrying about jaguars.

Still vulnerable to eagles, the sloth relies on camouflage for protection. Algae grow on its hair, giving the sloth a green tint that helps it blend in with the trees. Holding still, it is nearly invisible to predators. The sloth spends most of its time hanging upside down by its four-inch long, curved claws. It sleeps, eats, mates, and even gives birth in this position. While most mammals’ hair grows from its back to its belly, the sloth’s fur grows from its belly to its back so that rain runs right off of a hanging sloth.

The Sloth Institute’s vision is to expand scientific knowledge and education about the sloth to enhance their well-being and assure their conservation in Costa Rica and on this planet. The Institute also collaborates with Kids Saving the Rainforest (KSTR.org), with their sloth rescue/rehabilitation and release program.

The Sloth Institute’s 3 part mission consists of:

1)  RESEARCH of captive and wild sloths.

2)  COLLABORATION with other institutions that work with sloths around the world.

3)  EDUCATION to generate and disseminate responsible and balanced information about sloths to the public.