Meet The Sloths of Diamante
Lucy coming down for the morning feeding
The Diamante Animal Sanctuary is home to three beautiful, slow-moving, two-toed sloths. The Wildlife Ministry of Costa Rica rescued Diamante’s sloths and put them in our care.
Two-toed sloths are native to the Guanacaste area. Sloths are very delicate creatures, so nursing them back to health is a tender process handled by Diamante’s licensed veterinarians and highly trained staff.
Due to more media awareness, many people became fascinated with sloths, and International Sloth Day was created on October 20th. This special day was designed to raise awareness about the sloth life cycle and natural habitat and educate people about these loveable animals.
The following are stories about our resident sloths:
Nap time for Mia
MIA
Mia came to Diamante when she was just two years old. She is currently five years old.
As sloths go, Mia has a very distinct personality! She was found in awful health in a state of dehydration and malnutrition in the province of Limón on the Caribbean Coast.
Mia was transferred to the Costa Rica Sloth Sanctuary located in this area for immediate help. The Sloth Sanctuary works to rescue, rehabilitate, and, if possible, liberate injured sloths.
After Mia’s rehabilitation was done, it was determined that she could not be released due to high exposure to human contact and dependency. Given this situation, the Costa Rican MINAE authorities were contacted for relocation to a sloth sanctuary that could provide the best habitat and living conditions for her long-term.
And as such, Mia became part of the Diamante family.
Fun facts about Mia:
- She will eat anything in her path
- She loves to hang on the treetops and sunbathe
- Usually comes down to eat at midday or grab a snack around 10:30 am.
- She doesn’t like her naps disturbed and will ignore everything, even food!
LUCY
Our most famous and “asked-for” sloth is Lucy. She is the friendliest and quite the show off of the three sloths. Lucy is a seven-year-old, blonde-colored sloth and loves to come down to eat in front of people during the daily 9:30 am feedings.
Lucy was found and rescued in San Jose, the capital city, with burns from electrical wires on her hands and feet.
One of the biggest threats to sloths near towns and cities is the electrical cables running through their habitats. If and when they decide to move, they prefer to hang from branches rather than coming down to the ground; therefore, they would rather risk crossing an electrical cable than strolling on the ground.
Fun facts about Lucy:
- Lucy only likes sweet potatoes and SOMETIMES will eat carrots if they are up to her standards.
- She is the largest and oldest of the three sloths and currently is seven years old
- She has motherly instincts towards the other sloths and is close to Ziggy often.
- Lucy doesn’t like rain and will always look for cover.
ZIGGY
Our newest and youngest member of the sloth family is Ziggy. Mia and Lucy are constantly looking after Ziggy at just two years old. We think he loves all the attention!
Fun Facts about Ziggy:
- He will eat anything but prefers carrots and leaves
- Because he’s the youngest, he often steals the other’s food
- He loves to move around- seen in many places around his habitat
- Ziggy will come down for all three feedings as he likes the attention
Visit Diamante’s sloths.
If you want to visit sloths in Costa Rica, this is your perfect opportunity. Diamante’s sloths are in an open habitat, where you can get a close view of them.
We have daily feedings at 9:30 am, 12:30 pm, and 3:30 pm, in which our caretaker will educate you about each one of them.
The following passes will allow you to experience the sloths:
The Animal Sanctuary.
Discovery Pass ($42): Entrance to the Animal Sanctuary. A self-guided tour in which you will learn about the wildlife in Costa Rica and the conservation efforts in this country.
Adventure Pass ($118): All-day adventure pass! This pass includes the zip line tour, animal sanctuary entrance, cultural experience at the botanical gardens, beach activities such as stand-up paddle, kayak, and snorkel, and a Costa Rican buffet lunch with a fantastic ocean view.
Pura Vida!