Meet the Sloth, Pebble!
General Information
Pebble is a female 3-fingered sloth from Quepos, Costa Rica. She was found on the floor of a family's patio with a broken arm. Her blanket color is cyan and her surrogate stuffy is Georgina the Giraffe.
Likes & Dislikes
Pebble's likes include Pedialyte, cocoa pods, climbing, play-fighting, chewing on her blanket, and scratching her belly. Her dislikes include being touched by others, rain, obstacles in her path, and hibiscus flowers.
Pebble's Story
Pebble is a little 3-fingered, juvenile, female sloth who was brought into the Sir Bean Rescue Center after she was found on a couple’s patio with a broken arm and a very large wound on her right arm. Upon being emitted to the center, Pebble went right into surgery to help heal her arm. Unfortunately, because of the infection, veterinarians decided to amputate her arm to protect her health. While she was found dazed and weak, she immediately bounced back after her surgery.
Pebble showed great motivation through her therapies and quickly learned how to climb with 3 limbs. Pebble is one feisty little girl and enjoys play fighting with her other sloth mates in the rescue center. She is always found climbing as high as she can. Pebble is on track to be released soon and she looks forward to a long life back where she belongs: the wild. Pebble is a shining example that all sloths deserve a chance to be released back into their homes, and that disabled sloths can flourish when given the right accommodations and care!
Pebble in the Real World
Pebble’s story is inspired by Prince Eric from The Sloth Institute. Prince Eric is an adult, 3-fingered sloth who was brought into the center with a broken arm after he fell onto a bridge. Usually a sloth can fall from very high up with little to no injuries because of the structure of their bodies. However, falling on unnatural infrastructures, such as buildings, bridges, and roads, is a different story. Eric needed surgery to fix his fractured arm. The healing time for broken bones for 3-fingered sloths is much longer because workers cannot use metal pins to hold their bones in place.
Photo of Prince Eric. Photo accessed through @theslothinstitute on Instagram.
Why? Sloths often have allergic reactions to the metals in the pins. It took more than one attempt to heal his arm, and after multiple surgeries and strategies, the bone could not heal. His arm had to be amputated. Despite losing his arm, Eric flourished in recovery. While sloths missing a limb have some different behaviors than sloths with all of their limbs, Eric did not let this difference hold him back from making his way back into the trees to live his best sloth life.
"Dr. Chavarría applies a bandage to Prince Eric while a TSI volunteer feeds him guarumo fruit," "A Close Call for Prince Eric," The Sloth Institute.org. September 13, 2019
Eric was successfully released in February 2020 and is now a big part in TSI’s sloth tracking program. Through this program, the institute has discovered that Eric is not only surviving, but he is thriving. He’s been expanding his territory and winning fights with other sloths.
Photo of Prince Eric being released @theslothinstitute on Instagram
What can you do to help?
Support the The Sloth Institute (TSI)
It's vital that rescue centers stay well-funded so that they can provide proper care for their sloths AND release their sloths in the proper location for their species. Consider donating to TSI's sloth speedway project, tracking project, and more! Visit their page for more information: theslothinstitute.org
Credits
“A Close Call for Prince Eric,” - Sam Trull, The Sloth Institute
"Groundbreaking Sloth Research: Tracking Sloths" - The Sloth Institute
The Sloth Institute (@theslothinstitute) on Instagram
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