Want to See a Sloth? Here's How to Do it Responsibly

High in the jungle canopy, a three-toed sloth is surprisingly tricky to spot. Sleepy, sedentary and supremely camouflaged, it often takes an experienced guide to pick out the curve of a hooked claw or the outline of a smiling face among the leaves.

Yet, on social media, sloths seem remarkably easy to find. Tourists are frequently snapped cradling the slow-moving mammals while gushing over the experience. Flooding the comments section are people who want to know where the photo or video was taken so they can recreate it themselves. Interactions like these seem innocent enough, but the reality is far less idyllic.

“Sloths are sensitive animals that experience extreme stress when handled, transported and exposed to noise and constant human interaction,” says Cecilia Pamich, director of communications at The Sloth Conservation Foundation.

The irony is that many of the behaviours tourists interpret as signs of contentment are anything but. The famous sloth ‘smile’ is simply a trick of anatomy; sloths lack the facial muscles needed to produce expressions in the way humans do. Their slow movements, meanwhile, can make them appear calm even when they are distressed. And the wave often seen in photographs? That’s usually a defensive behaviour — an attempt to make themselves appear larger to potential predators.

Wildlife organisations, including the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), warn that social media has helped normalise interactions with wild animals that would once have been considered inappropriate. In the case of sloths, IFAW says the growing popularity of selfies and close encounters is fuelling an illegal trade across Central and South America, encouraging animals to be snatched from the wild to satisfy tourist demand.

There are no reliable figures for the scale of the trade, but conservationists believe thousands of sloths are removed from forests across countries such as Brazil, Peru and Colombia each year. Some are sold as exotic pets. Others appear in roadside attractions or so-called rescue centres where tourists can hold, feed or pose with them.

The trafficking process can be brutal. Investigations by charities including The Sloth Conservation Foundation and WWF have documented sloths being torn from trees felled by poachers, while mothers are often killed so their babies can be sold into the wildlife trade.

Young sloths are particularly vulnerable. Many die before they can be put on display and even those that survive struggle in captivity. Three-toed sloths are among the most specialised mammals in the rainforest. They feed on a narrow range of leaves and spend most of their lives alone. Removed from that environment, they usually find it impossible to adapt. “Three-toed sloths simply can’t tolerate life in captivity,” emphasises Dr Adriano G Chiarello, professor of ecology and conservation biology at the University of São Paulo in Brazil.

And captivity isn’t the only concern. Anthony Jimenez, a naturalist guide with conservation-led expedition company Natural Habitat Adventures, says tourists should be wary of wildlife experiences that guarantee sightings or present visitors with unusually tame animals. He also warns of tourist properties paying to relocate sloths onto their land because visitors are more likely to book when sightings are virtually assured.

“Sloths found crossing roads or living in fragmented forest patches are frequently removed and relocated to private properties under the justification of ‘rescuing’ or protecting them,” he says.

It’s a stark reminder that even animals encountered in seemingly wild settings aren’t always where they naturally belong. For Anthony, however, the solution isn’t to stop looking for sloths. It’s simply to change the way we look.

He’s spent years guiding visitors through the forests of Costa Rica, scanning Cecropia trees for the telltale outline of a sloth curled up high in the canopy. “The most ethical and effective approach is to hire local tour operators and certified naturalist guides who can take visitors either to areas where sloths are regularly observed or to responsible reserves that offer non-interventionist wildlife sightings,” he explains.

The next step is patience. Contrary to popular belief, sloths don’t spend their days hanging upside down. They sleep for much of the day, blend into the canopy and move with such deliberate slowness that even expert guides can struggle to spot them.

But that’s part of the appeal. “The most rewarding Amazon experiences are often the least predictable,” says Chris Bladon, product lead at Pura Aventura, a B-Corp tour operator specialising in nature tourism, especially in areas like Latin America. “Animals are often elusive, the forest is vast and if visitors arrive expecting encounters with specific species, they may leave disappointed.”

He believes that responsible wildlife tour operators should ask visitors to embrace uncertainty rather than resist it. “It encourages visitors to appreciate the Amazon as a living ecosystem rather than a checklist of species, and to value encounters because they’re genuine, not because they’re guaranteed.”

It’s a philosophy also embraced by UK tour company Naturetrek, which has been running wildlife holidays for four decades. Its Brazil itineraries cover habitats ranging from the Amazon to the Pantanal, where sloth sightings are possible, but never promised.

“Our tours are very much focused on wildlife-watching — ‘watching’ being key,” says operations manager Tom Mabbett. “Our guests don’t just want to spot an animal and take a quick photo or tick it off their list — they’re genuinely interested in learning about all aspects of natural history, and this is reflected in how we run our tours.”

That means keeping a respectful distance and allowing animals to behave naturally. “As naturalists and wildlife enthusiasts, we’d much rather use our binoculars or a telescope to enjoy an extended period watching a creature from a distance, allowing it to go about its day undisturbed, than try to get closer and risk scaring it away,” Tom says.

In many ways, that approach offers something far more rewarding than a selfie ever could. Sloths are among the rainforest’s strangest animals: mammals whose shaggy fur hosts algae and moths, who descend from the canopy just once a week to relieve themselves and who can swim surprisingly well despite spending most of their lives suspended in trees.

In a world where wildlife sightings can often be packaged and promised, there’s something refreshing about an encounter that can’t be predicted; to witness a sloth moving silently through the leaves and seemingly oblivious to your presence. The goal of wildlife travel isn’t to capture the perfect image, and the very fact that nature doesn’t perform on demand is what makes it so extraordinary — a philosophy that’s increasingly being championed by responsible tour operators across Latin America.

Three More Ethical Adventures

1. Night Monkeys on the Peru-Colombia Border

In Vista Alegre, the Musmuki Tourism Association offers low-impact walking tours to see the endemic Musmuki night monkey. Sacred to the Tikuna people, the monkeys are threatened by unethical tourism. With support from Colombia-based NGO Entropika, former monkey traders have turned to conservation and guiding.

2. Rescued Critters in Costa Rica

Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center is a zoo-turned-wildlife-refuge located just outside Costa Rica’s capital, San José. It rescues, rehabilitates and releases some 3,000 animals a year and provides lifetime care for around 700 creatures that can’t go back into the wild. The latter can be spotted when you walk through its 13-acre botanical garden.

3. Baird’s Tapirs in Belize

Set inland, the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area is a 254,000-acre private reserve overseen by the local NGO, Programme for Belize. The landscape of hills, plains, forests, savannahs and swamps is home to endangered species such as Baird’s tapirs and Yucatán black howler monkeys. Stay at one of two lodges within the reserve for an immersive wildlife experience.