When we apply for our jobs, we always know what we can expect from them.
We work based on the job description that we signed up for. Of course, there will always be unusual situations when our expertise is needed but for some weird or extraordinary reason.
At times, our jobs may be the solution to a problem or a vehicle to help others in need. If you can’t figure out how exactly that happens, this story will prove all that.
This lineman from Antioquia, Colombia, was a hero in a unique way.
Victor Hugo Lopez works for the Empresas Publicas de Medellin, a Colombian public service holding company. His work usually involves climbing on electric posts for repairs and maintenance purposes.
However, one Monday afternoon, he responded to an emergency. He probably didn’t expect that he would go up a post for other reasons. It might be a unique experience as a lineman, but it was heroic.
Residents from Taraza noticed a sloth stuck hanging on the power line.
They were worried that it might get electrocuted. While sloths can hang upside down for a long duration (since that’s their nature), he was hanging on a bunch of live wires. Plus, the unknown territory made him look helpless.
Victor, who happened to be near the location, came to the rescue. He made sure he was safe and secured on the pole before climbing to rescue the sloth.
Victor tried to reach out to the poor sloth, but it didn’t work.
He held out his outstretched arm, but the sloth kept moving away from Victor. You could hear the people worried if he moved further because he would be out of reach to be rescued if he did.
A few moments later, Victor asked for a broom so the sloth could cling to it. He also tried to talk to the animal in a calm and soothing voice, reassuring him that he could be trusted.
After 20 minutes (that felt like eternity!), the sloth finally grasped the broom.
At some point, the poor creature was hesitant, but he knew he was without a choice and that human was the only way he could go down in safety.
The moment the sloth was within his reach, Victor cuddled and comforted the sloth and brought him down. People cheered for this moment, happy and relieved to witness this rescue.
That’s not the end of this happy story — it got even happier.
Later that afternoon, Victor took the sloth back to its natural habitat. He gently placed the sloth on the ground, and it slowly crawled on the ground and up a tree branch.
Sloths spend most of their time in tree branches, and, yes, they hang like that for long periods since that is their natural position. They hang like that when they eat, sleep, and even give birth.
They may be slow-moving, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem. The only time sloths are vulnerable is when they are out of their habitat. That’s how crucial Victor’s heroic act was.
Check out the video of the sloth rescue below!
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