Crazy sloth ladies

Sloths are difficult to maintain in captivity, and should never be kept as pets. With that said, let me tell you about 2 women who have made sloths their cause:

• Monique Pool, a conservationist in Paramaribo, Suriname, found herself living with nearly 200 2- and 3-toed sloths in Fall 2012. She and her team from the Animal Protection Society of Suriname responded to a report that several of the animals had been found on 17 acres of private land that was being cleared. They found dozens and dozens and brought them to her home, which doubles as a sloth sanctuary, until they could be reintroduced to their natural habitat. Pool was “slothified,” as she calls it. “It seemed to be the only word that properly described what my situation was like: ‘overwhelmed by sloths.' There was literally no place in my home or garden where you could go and not see sloths — they were everywhere!”
• Lucy Cooke, an American zoologist, founded the Sloth Appreciation Society, wrote a book about sloths, made sloth films including a series for Animal Planet, and is developing an adopt-a-sloth app to discourage pet ownership. According to Time, she has done more than anyone else to popularize and educate the public about sloths. The reason, she explains, is that animals that are smart, cute, or human-like bring in the funding needed to protect less charismatic animals. “Conservation isn’t immune to the vagaries of fashion. That’s why I do what I do.”

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