The Sloth Rescue Center

(Also known as Aviarios del Caribe)

Location: Limon Province, 11 kilometers north of Cahuita, on the Southern Caribbean Coast

Elevation: sea level

Read more about the South Caribbean Tourism Region

About / History:

Aviarios del Caribe (The Sloth Rescue Center) is the only sloth research center in the world, and is located right here in Costa Rica.

The Sloth Rescue Center  rescues and rehabilitates injured sloths and cares for those that have been separated from their mothers.  Their main objective, aside from caring for a growing number of resident sloths (more than 75 as of January 2007), is to educate the public about the sloth and to expose the truth about these creatures. 

The Sloth Rescue Center is a privately-owned wildlife sanctuary in the Estrella River Delta near the southern Caribbean town of Cahuita. Several sloths live in their educational facility, where visitors can closely observe them.  Visitors can have their picture taken with Buttercup, the first and most famous sloth at the center.  Guided hikes and canoe tours are available through the center's canals where more than 320 species of birds have been recorded.

Aviarios del Caribe has both species of sloth that are found in Costa Rica, the two-fingered sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni) and the three-fingered sloth (Bradypus variegatus).  Read more about sloths...

Every year, several sloths who have been injured or separated from their mothers are brought to the center. Those that cannot be returned to the wild due to injuries become permanent residents at the sloth center. The center largely depends on donations to meet the needs of its growing sloth population.

Make sure to read our travel blog for more information and adorable pictures: (January 2007)

Contact Info:

Aviarios del Caribe
Web: www(dot)slothrescue(dot)org

Phone in Costa Rica: 506-2-750-0775