Saving a Sloth- Protecting a Sloth from Death on the Highway in Ecuador

On a recent photography expedition trip to Ecuador we came across a sloth in the middle of the road. We passed by thinking it was an injured dog or other animal that had been hit. We saw it moving very slowly and assumed it was injured, so we turned around to see if we could help.

Upon getting out of the vehicle to my amazement it was a sloth. Or in Spanish, an Oso Perezoso.

We blocked off our lane of traffic with our car and then stood nearby the sloth waiting for him to cross. Standing nearby so it wouldn't get hit by the many cars that kept passing by,

The sloth went back and forth for 45 minutes, on asphalt that was very hot. When it turned back around to go into the lane that we weren't blocking we had to intervene.

As someone who's done a lot of wildlife photography I've been taught to let nature be, and to not interfere. I've also been taught on my many trips to Africa and other places that interacting and especially touching wild animals can have adverse consequences, so we waited for a long time hoping he would cross safely.

When it became apparent that he would most certainly get hit if we didn't intervene. I gently picked him up and carried him to safety. He then quickly climbed up a tree to the highest point. It was beautiful.

I hope you enjoyed the video that we filmed entirely with our cellphones as our gear was packed away. Thanks so much for watching. Go make the world a better place.

www.jasonlanier.com

Thanks!

Jason

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