Costa Rica has 6% of the world's biodiversity. Because of that, you're likely to see all sorts of wildlife both big and small every single day of a vacation there. One of the most famous animals to see in Costa Rica is a sloth, but they are often far away, high up in the trees, and so well hidden that seeing one is not a guarantee. And even people who do get to see one don't often get an up-close encounter.
On a recent trip to Costa Rica, we had just checked into our jungle lodge in the remote Tortuguero National Park and embarked on a jungle hike near the lodge. It was only the second day of my vacation, and I knew I was in a prime location for the next four days to see a great variety of animals. But I was worried I'd visit Costa Rica and not see a sloth. The one we had seen way up in the trees on the 4-hour bus ride didn't count in my book -- I couldn't see its face and couldn't take a good photo because we were looking towards the direction of the sun.
About 45 minutes into our hour hike, two fellow travelers in my group thought they saw two monkeys engaged in "romantic behavior," and went they went in for a better look, discovered that they had actually spotted a sloth very low down in the tree above our heads. "Don't frighten it," said one a woman in the group, and I remarked that I didn't think it would be moving away too quickly even if we did startle it. But we hadn't -- we were observing it from a short distance (it only about 3 feet above us) and giving it its space. We didn't make noise -- we were just so happy to have this special encounter.
The sloth released the branch with its front claws and dropped its head down. It hung over us, upside side, just watching us with its curious, smiling face. At least it looked like it was smiling, as they often do. The sloth posed from some photos, and then we let it be. And I spent the rest of the two weeks of the trip smiling, just as that sloth had, that I had gotten to see a sloth up close and didn't need to stress out about it for the remainder of my vacation.
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