COSTA RICA

Costa Rica, a small Central American country, is bordered by Nicaragua on the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, Caribbean Sea to the east and Panama to the southeast. With its proximity to Panama, much biodiversity is shared between the two countries. Costa Rica, with its unique geographical location, has a wide variety of micro-habitats. In 2005, the DWA signed an agreement with the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica (formerly known as Aviarios del Caribe Rescue, Rehabilitation, Education Center) and the Ministerio del Ambiente y Energía (MINAE) to obtain three Bradypus variegatus (three-toed sloths), with the DWA providing assistance for the ex situ conservation of sloths.

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Costa Rican Sloth Conservation

The DWA has been in partnership with Aviarios del Caribe Sloth Refuge and Rehabilitation Center since 2002. The 136-acre reserve is located in the Estrella River Delta on the south Caribbean coast near Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. Named as one of Costa Rica’s Nature Reserves, the Sloth Rescue Center opened in 1996, when owner, Judy Arroyo took in an injured Three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) — little did she know this was the beginning of a new career.

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