Sloths given extra protections from pet and tourism trade

Two species of sloths — Linnaeus' and Hoffman's — have been granted new international protections at the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, amid growing concern over their exploitation in the exotic pet and tourism industries.

Conservation groups report a sharp rise in sloths being captured from the wild and exported, particularly to meet demand for pet ownership and "sloth encounter" attractions in the United States. Experts warn that the current rate of removal is pushing sloth populations toward a dangerous decline.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare has welcomed the new protections, calling them a critical step toward safeguarding the species from further exploitation.

The fund said that in 2012, only 59 individuals were imported, and by 2023, this number had nearly tripled to 160. The new protection measures, the group noted, will help provide essential data on the scale and nature of global sloth exploitation.

Sloths reproduce slowly, have long gestation periods and typically give birth to only one offspring at a time. They are highly vulnerable to environmental changes, struggle to regulate their own body temperature, and often suffer from disease and high mortality rates in captivity.

The fund estimates that only 10 percent of sloths taken from the wild survive, while the remaining 90 percent die during hunting or during transport.

Combined with ongoing habitat loss, conservationists warn that unregulated trade could push some populations into rapid decline.

Research published last month by the Sloth Institute, based in Costa Rica, found that more than 1,000 wild-caught sloths entered the United States between 2011 and 2021.