Imagine packing up your lens kit at the end of an exclusive photography tour at a wildlife rescue ranch and spotting this on your way out!
A pack of baby sloths on a rocking chair. And we were just in time to catch them at their breakfast feeding.
The owner of the Toucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica, Leslie Howle, invited us to take a seat and join the Breakfast With Baby Sloths Costa Rica tour as she plucked each baby one by one to feed them a combination of warm goat’s milk, cooked green beans and carrots.
Sometimes the baby sloths are treated to a delicious fresh veggie shake, straight from the Costa Rican jungle.
Leslie feeds the babies every four hours, day and night, which is crucial for their survival. We were lucky to catch this during the Baby Sloths Costa Rica tour.
There were four babies at the ranch during our visit, Espresso, Latte, Toffee and Cappuccino, all snuggled into a big fleece blanket. We were told the rocking chair is an ideal learning area for the baby sloths as they climb the back panels in between rests.
As Leslie fed the first lucky baby, she told us their stories on how each one of them ended up at the Toucan Rescue Ranch.
Espresso (female)
The fast one.
Espresso was found in San Ramon in the North West of Costa Rica.
She was a late night rescue found in the middle of a dirt road. She was dehydrated and sun burnt and still had her umbilical cord attached.
Espresso is considered to be one of the fastest babies at the ranch, and that is, in part, where she got her name. She is always awake and alert and ready to climb and wander.
We saw Espresso almost fall off the rocking chair as she tried to reach Leslie for more food.
Latte (Female)
Latte was found as an orphaned sloth due to her mother being hit by a car. She was rescued from the middle of the road with a bruised face. Unfortunately, her mother was not found.
Her rescue was near the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Latte is one of the oldest babies and has proved to be quite the surrogate mother for a very small baby named Chispa.
She is a very patient sloth due to the other babies always crowding her for snuggles.
The staff at the ranch are very happy that she has adopted one of the orphaned babies as her own, considering this a much more natural process.
Toffee (Male)
Toffee’s mother was electrocuted and Toffee was found holding onto his deceased parent. Though his early experience was traumatic, Toffee was not found with any external injuries.
He was roughly one month old when rescued. The only injury Toffee endured was dehydration and he was extremely weak.
Toffee is known around the Ranch for being slow and gentle.
He always needs a little encouragement at feeding time.
As with any wildlife rescue center, you have to take the rough with the smooth. We recently learned that Cappuccino, one of the babies we had the pleasure of meeting during our visit, passed away due to digestive issues. The staff at the ranch work so hard to keep the rescued animals alive and sometimes nature takes a cruel course.
The Toucan Rescue Ranch have a great clinic facility with veterinary staff supporting all forms of wildlife 24 hours a day. We donated to the ranch while we were there and we vowed to help with future fundraisers. We visited their amazing gift shop which was full of themed items relevant to the ranch and to Costa Rica. The shelves were lined with delicious local produce including some of the best chocolate we have ever tasted from the nearby Chocolateria, Sibu.
How you can help
Visit the Toucan Rescue Ranch and meet real life superheroes who work around the clock to keep these beautiful creatures alive and well.
Take an official tour! If you’re in the area or have a flight connection in San Jose, the Ranch is located close to the capital city. Read all about their Sloths Costa Rica tours on offer here: http://toucanrescueranch.org/tours/
You can read all about our exclusive photography tour of the Toucan Rescue Ranch.
Catch the baby sloths on SLOTH TV every Sunday 8:30am – 3pm CST as the Toucan Rescue Ranch stream live from the breakfast table.
Click here for more information: http://toucanrescueranch.org/about-us/mediapublicity/sloth-tv/
You can donate here: http://toucanrescueranch.org/donate/
You can Adopt a Resident here: http://toucanrescueranch.org/get-involved/adopt/
You can volunteer at the ranch here: http://toucanrescueranch.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Contact: info@toucanrescueranch.org if you would like any more information.
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Did we miss anything?
We have derived this blog from personal experience after spending a day at the Toucan Rescue Ranch.
Please leave your comments below if you’d like to know anything else.