Costa Rica mon 22 nov 2010
Walked 4k through the rainforest along dirt road and rough paths to sloth rehabilitation centre. Just me and an American couple are shown an excellent video on sloths and the work of the centre. Some of the background music is Flanders and Swann singing about sloths. Next a talk by a very knowledgeable guide aided by illustrated boards showing the ancestry, species and distribution of sloths. Then we are taken to see the animals themselves, about twelve of them in four enclosures, all rescued and unable to return to the wild for varying reasons. Some had been used to entertain tourists, others as pets. One had had his toes/claws cut off so that he wouldn't scratch the children. A sloth cannot climb trees or feed itself without it's claws. This ones regrew over time and eventually he returned to the wild.
On the way back I bought packs of tasty looking fudge for my children and striking t-shirts for the grandchildren. Then lunch in a local snackery, high up on a hillside overlooking the forest. I have their speciality wrap containing chicken, beans and cheese, with a mountain of salad.
It's another 4k hike back to the Lodge and quiet few hours chatting and resting before our evening meal in town at a locals' buffet serving traditional fare.
Bye for now, John
No comments:
Post a Comment