Snow White lay on the forest floor. The tiny sloth was cold. Her breathing was weak.

    She was alone. And she was close to death.

    Just months before, Snow White had been healthy and happy. She held on to her mom in the treetops of Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. Many animals live in the rainforest there.

    Snow White and her mom snuggled in the leafy canopy. Meanwhile, monkeys jumped from tree to tree. Toucans sat in the branches. Iguanas walked below.

    When Snow White was about 6 months old, she began to live on her own. She spent her days eating leaves and fruit.

    Then disaster struck.

    Snow White lived near a hotel. At some point, a tree she needed for food was likely cut down. She began to starve. Then a big storm hit. Too weak to hang on, she likely fell from her tree.

    Would she survive?

    Snow White lay still on the forest floor. The tiny sloth was ice-cold. Her breathing was weak.

    She was all alone, and she was about to die.

    Only months earlier, Snow White had been healthy and happy. She clung tightly to her mother in the treetops of Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. Many sloths and other animals make their home in the rainforest there.

    Snow White and her mother snuggled in the leafy canopy as monkeys jumped from tree to tree, toucans perched in the branches, and iguanas the size of small dogs marched below.

    When Snow White was about 6 months old, she began to live on her own. She spent her days eating the leaves and fruits of a few trees.

    Then disaster struck.

    Snow White lived near a hotel. At some point, a tree she needed for food was likely cut down. Snow White began to starve. Then a big storm hit the area. Too weak to hang on, she likely fell from her tree.

    Would Snow White survive?

    Sloths are cute. Their smiles are goofy. Their eyes look smart. They’re known for moving slowly. That’s why they’ve become stars. You can buy sloth T-shirts and toys. On TikTok, #sloth has more than 1.7 billion views.

    But some ideas about sloths are wrong. They don’t really smile. That’s just the way their faces look. And while you might want to hug one, you shouldn’t. Being touched by a person scares a sloth. That causes its heart to beat really fast. If that happens too often, it can cause death.

    Sloths face other threats too. Selling them as pets is against the law in many countries. But some people still do it. Sloths don’t do well in captivity. Most end up dying.

    The greatest threat to sloths is deforestation. Sloths are found only in rainforests in Central and South America. Those forests are being cut down to make room for farms, homes, and hotels.

    Sloths can’t jump from tree to tree like monkeys. They need to grab a branch to move from one tree to the next.

    When trees are cut down, large gaps are left in the forest. Sloths must climb down to the ground. There, jaguars and dogs can attack them.

    Sloths are adorable. Their smiles are goofy, their eyes look intelligent, and they’re famous for moving slowly—so it’s not surprising that they’ve become stars. You can buy sloth T-shirts and toys. On TikTok, #sloth has more than 1.7 billion views.

    But sloths are also misunderstood. For example, their goofy smiles aren’t smiles at all—that’s just the way their faces look. And while you might want to give them a hug, it’s not a good idea. Being touched by a person frightens a sloth, causing its heart to beat really fast—and if that happens repeatedly, it can lead to death.

    Sloths face numerous other threats too. Although selling them as pets is illegal in many countries, some people do it anyway. Sloths suffer in captivity, and most end up dying.

    But the greatest threat to sloths is deforestation. Sloths are found only in rainforests in Central and South America, and those forests are being cut down to make room for farms, houses, and hotels.

    Sloths can’t jump from tree to tree like monkeys. They must be able to grab a branch to move from one tree to another.

    When trees are cut down, large gaps are left in the forest. This forces sloths to climb down to the ground, where they can be attacked by jaguars and dogs.

    In May 2021, a hotel worker saw Snow White’s body in the dirt. He called The Sloth Institute (TSI). The people at TSI care for injured and sick sloths. Since 2014, TSI has rescued about 400 sloths.

    The TSI team raced to the scene. They wrapped Snow White’s frail body in a blanket and rushed her back to TSI.

    They were worried. “I didn’t think she would make it,” says Amanda Orens, who helped care for Snow White.

    Orens and the others worked to save the sloth. They warmed her with heating pads. They gave her medicine. She was too weak to chew leaves, so they fed her sugar.

    In May 2021, a hotel worker spotted Snow White’s body in the dirt. Fortunately, he knew what to do: Call The Sloth Institute (TSI). The people at TSI care for injured and sick sloths. Since 2014, the organization has rescued about 400 sloths.

    The TSI team raced to the scene, wrapped Snow White’s frail body in a blanket, and rushed her back to TSI.

    But they weren’t confident that she would recover. “I didn’t think she would make it,” recalls Amanda Orens, who helped care for Snow White.

    Orens and the others worked around the clock to save the tiny sloth. They warmed her with heating pads and gave her medicine. They fed her sugar because she was too weak to chew leaves.

Baby sloths that have lost their mothers are hand-fed milk.

Baby sloths that have lost their mothers are hand-fed milk.

Baby sloths that have lost their mothers are hand-fed milk.

Amanda Orens washes leaves. The TSI staff spends nearly four hours a day collecting leaves for sloths to eat.

Amanda Orens washes leaves. The TSI staff spends nearly four hours a day collecting leaves for sloths to eat.

Amanda Orens washes leaves. The TSI staff spends nearly four hours a day collecting leaves for sloths to eat.

An injured sloth receives care. (He has since recovered and been released.)

An injured sloth receives care. (He has since recovered and been released.)

An injured sloth receives care. (He has since recovered and been released.)

Snow White nibbles on her first leaf at TSI.

Snow White nibbles on her first leaf at TSI.

Snow White nibbles on her first leaf at TSI.

A sloth is released back into the wild after about three years of care.

A sloth is released back into the wild after about three years of care.

A sloth is released back into the wild after about three years of care.

    Slowly, Snow White improved. She was able to drink on her own. She could chew on a few leaves. After about a week, she began cleaning herself. It was clear she was getting better. (The TSI team gave her the name Snow White. Why? She woke up from a deep sleep—just like the fairy-tale character.)

    Now Snow White was ready to start “sloth school.” This program gets rescued sloths ready to return to the wild. Baby sloths have a lot to learn: How do they find food? Where do they sleep? How do they climb safely?  

    The team at TSI teaches these skills in different ways. They hang leaves on a rope to help the sloths learn how to find and grab food. They also place sloths in a large outdoor area so they can get used to living outside.

    Snow White had already lived for months with her mom. So her main “job” was to grow big and strong. Her caregivers made sure that she had plenty of tasty leaves and fruit to eat. 

    Snow White healed and grew quickly. “She looked like a completely different sloth,” says Orens.

    Snow White improved. She could drink on her own. She could chew on leaves. After about a week, she began cleaning herself. She was getting better. (The TSI team gave her the name Snow White. Why? She woke up from a deep sleep, just like the fairy-tale character.)

    Now Snow White was ready to start “sloth school.” This program gets rescued sloths ready to return to the wild. Baby sloths have a lot to learn: How do they find food? Where do they sleep? How do they climb safely?  

    The team at TSI teaches these skills in different ways. They hang leaves on a rope to help the sloths learn how to find and grab food. They place sloths in a large outdoor area so they can get used to living outside.

    Snow White had learned a lot from her mom. Her main “job” was to grow big and strong. The team made sure she had plenty of leaves and fruit to eat.

    Snow White healed and grew quickly. “She looked like a completely different sloth,” says Orens.

    Snow White’s condition gradually improved. She was able to drink on her own, and she could chew on a few leaves. After about a week, she began cleaning herself. She was obviously on the road to recovery. (The TSI team gave her the name Snow White because she woke up from a deep sleep—just like the fairy-tale character.)

    Now Snow White was ready to start “sloth school,” a program that prepares rescued sloths to return to the wild. Baby sloths have a lot to learn, such as how to find food, where to sleep, and how to climb safely.  

    The team at TSI teaches these skills in a variety of ways. They hang leaves on a rope to help the sloths learn how to find and grab food. They also place sloths in a large outdoor area so they can get used to living outside.

    Snow White had already lived for months with her mother, so her main “job” was to grow bigger and stronger. Her caregivers made sure she had plenty of tasty leaves and fruit to eat.

    Snow White healed and grew quickly. “She looked like a completely different sloth,” Orens remembers.

A- Cool Camo
Algae is a simple plant that usually grows near water. A type of green algae also lives on sloth fur. This helps sloths hide in trees.

B- Slow Stomachs
It takes sloths about 30 days to digest a single leaf. This saaves them from having to find food too often.

C- Slow Motion
Sloths move very slowly—which helps them save energy.

D- Sharp Claws
Long, curved claws help sloths climb. They also help them hang from branches for long periods of time.

A- Cool Camo
Algae is a simple plant that usually grows near water. A type of green algae also lives on sloth fur. This helps sloths hide in trees.

B- Slow Stomachs
It takes sloths about 30 days to digest a single leaf. This saaves them from having to find food too often.

C- Slow Motion
Sloths move very slowly—which helps them save energy.

D- Sharp Claws
Long, curved claws help sloths climb. They also help them hang from branches for long periods of time.

A- Cool Camo
Algae is a simple plant that usually grows near water. A type of green algae also lives on sloth fur. This helps sloths hide in trees.

B- Slow Stomachs
It takes sloths about 30 days to digest a single leaf. This saaves them from having to find food too often.

C- Slow Motion
Sloths move very slowly—which helps them save energy.

D- Sharp Claws
Long, curved claws help sloths climb. They also help them hang from branches for long periods of time.

    After about a month at TSI, Snow White had new fur all over her body. That’s a key sign of health. She had also put on weight. 

    As the weeks passed, she continued to get stronger. Soon it became clear: Snow White was ready to leave TSI for good. 

    Nine months after she was found, the team put her in a soft bag. They took her to a safe forest. They placed the bag near the trunk of a big tree and opened it. Slowly, she began to climb up. 

    It was Snow White’s fairy-tale ending. 

    After about a month at TSI, Snow White had new fur all over her body. That’s a key sign of health. She had also put on weight. 

    As the weeks passed, she continued to get stronger. Soon it became clear: Snow White was ready to leave TSI for good. 

    Nine months after she was found, the team put her in a soft bag. They took her to a safe forest. They placed the bag near the trunk of a big tree and opened it. Slowly, she began to climb up. 

    It was Snow White’s fairy-tale ending. 

    After about a month at TSI, Snow White had new fur all over her body—a key sign of health. She had also put on weight.

    As the weeks passed, she continued to get stronger. Soon it became clear: Snow White was ready to leave TSI for good.

    Nine months after she was found, the team put her in a soft bag and transported her to a safe forest. They placed the bag near the trunk of a large tree and opened it. Slowly, she began to climb up.

    It was Snow White’s fairy-tale ending. •