Have you ever had the opportunity to witness the miracle of life up-close? People who have pets might have been able to be present while their pets gave birth, but the majority of people probably haven’t had the chance just yet!
Labor can be difficult in animals the same as humans, although, animals tend to have shorter labor times. Also, another characteristic is that mammals when they give birth tend to hide, usually in order to be in a safe environment at that vulnerable moment and escape any lurking predators.
Our story today is about a sloth and her labor story! For those unfamiliar with sloths, they are considered “wild animals” and the World Animal Protection tries to keep them safe in their natural habitat, away from poachers.
A year ago, Steven Vela, a guide for Canoa Aventura, was in the middle of a guided tour, when he and his group of tourists in Costa Rica came upon a very rare and beautiful scene. They were lucky to witness the birth of a three-toed sloth.
Sloths can be found mainly in Central and South America and there are basically 2 types, two-toed, and three-toed. One would ask what’s the difference, well, the difference lies in the front limps! Although both types have 3 claws, on their hind limbs, the “two-toed” have only two on their front while the “three-toed” have three.
Vela and his group came across a three-toed sloth hanging on a tree close to the Arenal Volcano National Park. As they were driving close by, they decided to stop to admire this beautiful animal without knowing that they caught it in the middle of labor.
So, as they were observing the animal, out of the blue, a baby sloth slipped right out the bigger one, and started dangling from its umbilical cord. Initially, the crowd observing, thought that the baby would fall to its death until they saw the umbilical cord.
Now, you know that sloths aren’t known for their fast reactions, they are considered awfully “slow” animals. However, this young mom-sloth knew how to act fast in order to save her baby.
As soon as the baby started, dangling in the air, the mom-sloth reached out and grabbed her baby, and begun to lick it clean, exactly as most animals would do.
Vela who was recording the whole incident, told CNN “It’s definitely the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen”!
Dr. Rebecca Cliffe, the creator of the Sloth Conservation Foundation in Costa Rica, was asked if this kind of labor is considered to be something extremely rare for the sloth population.
According to her “From the limited number of 3 toed sloth birth observations that we know about, this has happened in a high proportion of cases.”
And, it really makes sense as the sloths spend the bigger part of their lives lounging on trees. They are animals that prefer to be alone and protect themselves by staying on their trees.
Such a beautiful story and such a nice message! It’s really important to witness scenes like this even if it’s only to remember that there is a whole other world hidden out there, where there are mothers and babies of a different kind yet with bonds so strong as humans!
If you would like to see the whole labor scene, check out the video below.
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