Get up close
to one of the friendliest mammals in the world

Costa Rica is a country that has a very large biodiversity, it not only has wide species of plants but also animals.

As an ecological land, Costa Rica is home to a staggering amount of biological diversity and many pure natural wonders.

Fauna of Costa Rica

In the fauna of Costa Rica, there are 231 species of mammals. Of these, there are 23 aquatic species of which 21 correspond to cetaceans, one to a marine carnivore and the other to the manatee. The rest, 208 species are purely terrestrial.

Before humans began hunting the national fauna, there were more species of mammals and in greater numbers. Today the country’s large mammals have been hunted to near extinction and only abound in the largest protected areas.

Sloths in Costa Rica

One of the most famous and beloved mammals on the planet are the sloths. In Costa Rica, there are two types of sloths: the two-fingered and the three-fingered. Sloths are characterized by being slow in their movement, they generally spend most of their time on the treetops where they avoid their predators and obtain food and water.

The frequent deforestation of the forests threatens the sloths because they depend exclusively on the trees for their survival, for this and other problems, the Sanctuary of the Sloths has been created.

The Sloth Sanctuary is located in the city of Cahuita, almost four hours by road from San José. Its mission is to rescue these animals in favor of their preservation as a natural heritage species of our country.

The most characteristic feature of the Sanctuary is that it is one of the few shelters open to the public worldwide. Anyone interested in these smiling friends can meet and interact with them.

Throughout the sanctuary there are multiple trails for observing sloth walks at the zoo. Such walks can be done with an internal guide or on your own.

Also you can visit the Sloth museum inside the Sanctuary facilities. There you can learn about their first ancestors and the behavior of the species that are currently found in Costa Rica and other parts of the world.