The Sloth Institute

A CLOSE CALL FOR PRINCE ERIC!

slothBandaged sloth with 2 doctorsPrince Eric is a young adult male three-fingered sloth that came into our care at the beginning of August. We received a call from a local business that a sloth had fallen onto a bridge in the forest that surrounds their property. Sloths are actually very good at falling because of their sturdy skeleton (and they fall pretty regularly in a normal lifetime) but because the bridge that he fell onto wasn’t the soft forest floor he broke his arm.

X-rays determined that he would need orthopedic surgery to correct his fracture. Surgeons Dr Daniel Chavarría and Dr. Janet Sandi Carmiol have given Prince Eric a hopeful prognosis, despite the fact that three-fingered sloths don’t always do well with pins in their
bones. (Sloths tend to have allergic reactions to the metal, and therefore need longer healing time compared to similarly sized mammals.)

Prince Eric has been a sweet patient. TSI and his doctors are hoping for full recovery, but we need your support!

The Sloth InstituteRead updates on all of the sloths in care at TSI at TheSlothInstitute.org.