GREETINGS
from all of us at
Aviarios del Caribe!

Buttercup continues to charm our visitors and patiently pose for photographs. She retains the "Queen Sloth" title at Aviarios, but now has a wee bit of competition...

Aviarios received its own "Millie-nium Bug" in the form of Millie, an adorable petite female. She arrived January 1st, 2000, cold, wet & screaming, with a severe case of anemia. Millie is one of the 5 orphaned infant sloths who found their way to Aviarios during January/February 2000 following a prolonged cool & rainy spell. During that time it appears that the mother sloths could not properly digest their food as the bacteria in their system requires warmth to function; the mothers continued to produce milk to nurse their babies at the expense of their own bodies, & ultimately died. Millie has fully recovered & is enjoying her "princess" role by luxuriating in her hanging basket in the main lodge. She is so gentle & non-defensive that she will be joining Buttercup & Tuffy in the Environmental Education Program to teach people about sloths & the rainforest.

Jasper, like Millie, is a "cold- weather" orphan. He’s a gorgeous chocolate-colored youngster whose antics around the cage & in the trees outside do much to counter the image of an idle sloth!

Pokemon & Hoover, 2 ginger-colored sloths who are also "cold-weather" orphans, have become very attached to each other. They can often be found snoozing back to back or sharing each other’s food & for this reason, we hope to release them together so they can carry on being "best buddies"!

Bustah was brought to the center by a lodge guest who found him in Cahuita suffering from severe burns across his nose & forearms. These were likely caused by contact with a live power line. However, Bustah is doing very well now & boasts a small "battlescar". We hope to return him to Cahuita in the near future.

Willow is a pretty young female orphan whose good looks have not gone unnoticed by Tuffy next door. She is doing well & we look forward to her release in the near future -- Willow is awaiting a surgical implant of a micro-transmitter that will allow us to monitor her movements.

Tuffy, when he’s not too busy trying to catch Willow’s attention, is usually found snoozing with his towel pulled over his head but quickly awakens when his food arrives! He’s one of the stars in our Environmental Education program.

Bruno, one of our permanent residents, amazes everyone with his upper body strength -- despite limited mobility in his back legs, he puts the others to shame with the speed with which he climbs around his cage!

Rex is still going strong at the grand old age of 20-something ... visitors are impressed with his size & wise, serene demeanor.

IT’S A BOY!!! Proud parents, Juliet & Gigia Twotoedsloth, are pleased to announce the birth of their son, DIVO, on March 1, 2000, weighing a healthy 500g.

Divo, the new "baby" is now nearly 10 months old and has moved into his own cage. A robust and active little guy, we look forward to a successful release when he is older!

and ... Gigia & Juliet are at it again! On December 18, 2000, they moved in together & Gigia could hardly wait ... apparently mating is one activity sloths do not perform slowly! Stay tuned for more news ....

Zephyr, one more "cold weather orphan", was actually dropped off at Aviarios by his mother. She stayed nearby for several days before moving away, entrusting him to our care. Unfortunately we believe she ultimately died from starvation. Zephyr is thriving and his sunny nature & cheeky grin have already won him many fans here at the center. He is one of our potential release candidates!

Sunny & Silver are back to the bachelor life, since Scooby’s departure has removed the feminine presence from their cage. They appear to have adapted to the change very well and Sunny has even taken over Scooby’s favorite habit of sitting in an empty bird’s nest in the exercise tree.

BALOO the Kinkajou,
ARCHIE the Paca,
SYLVIA & SOLO the Toucans

SCOOBY’s treatments for mange went very well, all traces of the skin disease have now disappeared and her hair has grown back with all its former beauty. Scooby is in the process of being released. From her resident cage she moved to a ‘soft release’ cage in the forest adjacent to the lodge and is currently trying out life in the trees nearby. Volunteers are diligently monitoring Scooby’s activities (when she is not hiding among the leaves!) and as she was always anxious to go outside, we anticipate a very short acclimatization period for her.

Partridge Films from England accompanied us for the release of GUS, a two-toed sloth, back to Cahuita National Park. Gus was successfully treated for severe wounds following an apparent attack by Capuchin monkeys. Their cheeky commentary captured an enthusiastic Gus climbing home!

HOMER

Ever been chased by a brown pelican? This playful guy, who arrived with one wing severed due to a gunshot wound, delights in tossing sticks & leaves, swallowing fish, and chasing whoever he can find -- volunteers and sloths alike. He particularly enjoys a good romp around the yard with Sophie (the Dobie) amongst much barking and bill-snapping! It is hoped that Homer can soon be relocated to join other waterfowl.

SLOTHS SEEKING YOU!

We are: Choloepus hoffmanni and Bradypus variegatus species, who enjoy living life on the edge (of the forest) with a slower-paced routine

WOODY The Arroyos' resident Black-cheeked Woodpecker, which they raised "from an egg", has flown the coop to live with his girlfriend Rose, also hand-reared & released in ‘99. The 2 lovebirds built a nest nearby & on occasion return for visits.

The Rescue Center does not receive outside funding & instead, continues to rely on the generous donations & contributions of our visitors & fans! MUCHAS GRACIAS!

We are happy to report that our adoption program is proving very successful. Buttercup and Millie have the most ‘parents ‘ so far, but the others are catching up!

Interested in adopting a sloth? The following packages available:

Package A - Premium $150 includes:

• 8x10 color photo of your sloth
• information card about the type & personal history of your sloth
• 8x11 adoption certificate
• annual issue of the "Buttercup Newsletter"
• a "Buttercup foundation" T-shirt

Package B - Standard, $100 includes:

• 8x10 color photo of your sloth
• type & personal history of your sloth
• 8x11 adoption certificate
• annual issue of the "Buttercup Newsletter"
• a "Buttercup Foundation" key chain

Designed for a group adoption the suggested contribution is $10 per person/student. Package includes:

• 8x10 color photo of your sloth
• information card about the type & personal history of your sloth
• 8x11 adoption certificate
• annual issue of the "Buttercup Newsletter" (1 per class)
• individual wallet-size photocards of adopted sloth

AVIARIOS DEL CARIBE
Luis & Judy Arroyo
P.O. Box 569-7300
Limon, Costa Rica
Tel/Fax: 506-382-1335
email: aviarios@costarica.net