23rd August 2024

For years, my holidays followed a predictable pattern—relaxation, sightseeing, and more relaxation. However, the more I travelled, the more I felt a growing dissatisfaction. I wasn't contributing to the world around me, and my flights were adding to the global carbon footprint (something which sat heavy on my heart, especially considering my career in sustainability). 

A defining moment was a few years back, when I found myself waiting to board my flight home at the end of a trip to France with friends. I had been invited on a ski trip (although not a skier myself...). Despite having an amazing trip—good food, good company, and beautiful landscapes, and getting the hang of the slopes  (sort of)—my thoughts were often plagued with the effect of my carbon footprint, and the nagging sensation that I wasn’t giving back enough. I knew then that I wanted future trips to be more fulfilling, more purposeful.

This realisation, coupled with my passion for animals, led me to seek a more meaningful way to spend my holidays. That’s how I found myself volunteering with the sloth conservation team in Costa Rica, an experience that changed my life forever.

Discovering the Right Volunteer Opportunity

Volunteering abroad had always intrigued me, but it wasn't until I had spoken with friends who had done this, and conducted some online research myself, that I decided to take the plunge. My first time volunteering abroad was in Bali, helping to restore a degraded coral reef. The second time round, after researching, careful planning, and a bit of financial juggling, I found another opportunity that felt right: working with orphaned baby sloths in Costa Rica.

The Heartbreaking Reality

Most sloths I worked with had all lost their mothers under tragic circumstances. Many mothers were electrocuted on power lines, while others were killed so their babies could be used as tourist attractions. Tourists often pay for a ‘selfie’ with a sloth—in nearly all cases, these baby sloths would then pass shortly afterward, having been taken from their mother and not provided the proper food or care. It's a heart-wrenching reality that underscores the importance of ethical wildlife tourism (please, never pay for photos with wild animals!). 

The young sloths at the centre I worked at, still needing maternal care, were instead given large teddy bears to cling to as substitutes for their mothers – something on first glance that might seem cute, but on closer inspection is truly tragic. As volunteers, our contact with the sloths was limited to moving them carefully between their teddy bears and the trees where they learned to climb. This distinction is crucial: these sloths were not pets, but wild animals undergoing rehabilitation for release back into their natural habitat. It was vital to respect this boundary and minimise any human contact. While people often have the natural urge to touch wild animals (it’s true, I do too), true love for them means letting them remain wild, undisturbed, and happier as a result.

McKenna – Hope for My Favourite Girl

One sloth, in particular, stole my heart—McKenna. She was small, feisty, and incredibly fast (for a sloth). She reminded me greatly of a niffler (any Harry Potter fans will understand). Watching her cling to her teddy bear broke my heart, knowing it should have been her mother in place of this teddy bear. But there’s a light in McKenna’s story: despite the sadness of her situation, the hope lies in her future. McKenna is being carefully rehabilitated with the ultimate goal of releasing her back into the wild, where she belongs. Imagining her climbing trees, living freely as she was meant to, fills me with hope and joy. The vision of her thriving in her natural habitat is one I cherish, knowing that she will soon have the chance to live the life nature intended.

Noco’s Story: A Life in Captivity

In stark contrast to McKenna's hopeful future is the heartbreaking reality of Noco, another sloth whose story is a reminder of the devastating effects of captivity. Noco is a Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth, named after the Orinoco River that runs through her homeland in South America. She was born at Bristol Zoo Gardens in April 2021 to 8-year-old mum Trixie and 19-year-old father Rio. But, when she was still just a baby, Noco was moved away from her parents and sold to Wingham Wildlife Park in Kent, where she was put on display for a paying public.

Now, Noco is part of an exhibit with an older male sloth named Sid. They are kept in an upstairs room in the ‘Chimpanzee House,’ far removed from the world they were meant to explore. Visitors pay £90 for a ‘sloth experience’ to interact with Noco. But this experience comes at a heavy cost—Noco will never hang from the branches of trees in the wild or explore the canopies of the forest. She will never see the wild Orinoco River, flowing through the land where she belongs. Noco's life is one of confinement, devoid of the freedom she deserves.

Every Sloth Deserves Freedom

McKenna’s story gives me hope because it shows that there is a path to freedom for sloths who have been orphaned or rescued. She will soon have the chance to live as nature intended, free to make her own choices. But the heartbreaking reality is that not every sloth is given this chance. Noco’s story is a painful reminder that too many sloths are condemned to a life of captivity, used for human pleasure, and denied the freedom that is their birthright, not just in their homeland countries, but in the UK too.

Every sloth deserves the life that McKenna will soon have—free to live, to make choices, and to be where they belong, in the wild. No sloth, or any wild animal, should be held captive and used for the entertainment of humans. It’s up to us to fight for their freedom and to ensure that no sloth is ever denied the life they deserve.

A World of Difference

Experiencing wildlife in their natural habitat versus captivity is profoundly different. In Costa Rica, I saw both the sloths we were rehabilitating and those thriving in the wild. This stark contrast deepened my belief that animals should not be confined to zoos for human entertainment. Zoos provide zero rewards for animals! Instead, supporting recognised conservation charities or volunteering with ethical organisations allows people to help wildlife in situ in a meaningful way. This way, you get to spend time up close and personal with wild animals, but in a way that contributes to their welfare, rather than taking away from it.

I am very privileged to have been on a trip like this. If you want to do something like this, but are worried about budgeting, here are a few things that could make things easier:  

• Consider off-season travel for lower prices or look for trips which offer free accommodation in exchange for labour

• Fundraise among friends and family for a volunteer trip, or opt for budget accommodation and local meals during your stay

• Choose a programme closer to home or book flights well in advance to make the experience more affordable

A Rewarding Experience

Volunteering with the sloth conservation team in Costa Rica was far more rewarding than any traditional holiday. The time and effort invested were worth every moment, and the impact on my life was profound. The experience provided me with a unique perspective on wildlife conservation and left me with memories I will treasure forever.

Something for Your Future?

If you're passionate about animals and looking to make a positive impact on the world, consider volunteering for a conservation program. It might require more effort than buying a zoo ticket, but the rewards are immeasurable. Supporting ethical wildlife conservation not only helps protect these precious creatures but also provides a sense of fulfilment that traditional holidays often lack. Communities often benefit too, as conservation projects can provide employment opportunities and support local people to live in harmony with the natural world around them.

In the end, my time with the sloths in Costa Rica was the most amazing opportunity of my life. It's an experience that I hold close to my heart, and one that I encourage others to seek out for themselves. By choosing to volunteer, we can all contribute to a better world for animals and ourselves.

P.s. A final note – 

When supporting wildlife conservation, it's essential to choose carefully. Many programs are unethical tourist traps that harm animals, damage the environment, and exploit local communities. To ensure your efforts make a positive impact, thoroughly research and select programs with clear ethical standards and a genuine commitment to animal welfare and conservation. By choosing wisely, you can help create real, meaningful change.

You can help:

Boycott zoos and ‘wildlife parks’ that imprison animals for profit

Support real conservation in the wild

Adopt Noco the Sloth to support Freedom for Animals’ work for a world without cages