In this video recently shared by a YouTube user, an agile three-toed sloth in Costa Rica negotiates a tin roof and wooden beams of what appears to be a rustic shack in a tourist hotspot. A few important observations about this video:

• As we all know, sloths are adorable.
• This was not a lazy sloth by any means; it seems to have covered about 25 meters of roof in four minutes.
• Notwithstanding its docility and familiarity with the human-built structure, this sloth does not appear to be domesticated.
• With regard to the point above, some tourists got very close to the sloth and one even reached out to caress it. A Tico-sounding voice warned about the fleas and ticks populating the sloth’s hide and fur; it is important to remember that the thick fur of sloths serve as an ecosystem to moths, algae and other life that must not be disturbed. Overall, it is not a good idea to touch wildlife in Costa Rica, unless it is at a wildlife rescue center where animals have been domesticated through the process of rehabilitation.
• Some tourists were elated and commented that a few weeks had passed in Costa Rica without a close encounter with sloths during their vacation. Once again, please visit our wildlife rescue centers (and some national parks staffed by wildlife experts) for this purpose.
• At the end of the video, a human pulls tree branches close to the sloth so that it could get back to its arboreal ways and habitat. The Costa Rica Star thanks this person and encourages such behavior as long as it is safely performed.