International Sloth Day 2023: Significance, History & Important facts

International Sloth Day 2023 will be celebrated all over the world on Friday, October 20, 2023. the day provides a perfect opportunity to learn about these amazing animals and raise awareness about the problems they are facing which is gradually leading to their endangerment. By coming together and take actions, we can not only help the sloths survive, but thrive.

International Sloth Day 2023 Upcoming Events

International Sloth Day 2023 Overview

Interesting Facts about Sloth- Happy International Sloth Day

Let us learn some interesting fact about the slowest mammal on Earth, the sloths, on this International Sloth Day:

1. Everything is sluggish and slow-moving for the sloths, even digestion. It takes them around 30 days to digest a leaf.
2. Sloths spend most of their lives while hanging upside down from the tree branches.
3. Despite having trouble in standing up, sloths are surprisingly good at swimming. Also, they are faster in water than on land.
4. Sloths have very low energy and by adopting a slow-paced lifestyle, they expend as little energy as possible.
5. The largest extinct sloths were the size of elephant who sued to feed on tough, fibrous leaves.
6. The sloth’s hair is a home to many different organisms, from microbes, insects to fungi and algae.
7. The algae-covered fur of sloth sometimes work as a camouflage to avoid predation.
8. The longest recorded lifespan of sloth species is 43 years.
9. Sloths are extremely vulnerable to deforestation and are listed on the IUCN redlist of threatened species.
10. All sloths are anatomically designed to fall and survive. They can fall 100 feet without injury.

Significance of International Sloth Day

October 20 was chosen to be observed as International Sloth Day to honor these adorable slow-moving, leaf-eating animals. These animals play a very important role in this complex ecosystem. In terms of biomass, the percentage of sloths should be significant among the overall mammals living in a healthy tropical forest for a sustained ecosystem. Protecting sloths and their habitat also benefits a whole host of other species.

It is therefore important to conserve the natural habitat and the way of life of these tree-dwelling mammals. With this aim in mind, International Sloth Day 2023 will be observed.

History of International Sloth Day Observation

AIUNAU is a non-profit foundation that works and contributes towards the protection of wildlife. Their work with sloths started in 1996 by the project Unau and the foundation Unau. The same organization created the celebration of International Sloth Day every year on October 20. According to AIUNAU, “There is a lot that sloths can teach us — respect, tenderness, joy.”

How is International Sloth Day celebrated?

The world will observe International Sloth Day on 20^th October with events conducted by local organizations, zoos and schools all over the world. On this occasion International Sloth Fest will be observed on 22^nd Saturday in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica and people from all over the world are welcome to join this fest. For those who cannot attend it in person, the event will also be watched online during Sloth Week from the 16th to the 22nd of October.

There are many other ways too in which you can celebrate this day. You can adopt a sloth, not really but symbolically and help with its conservation. Sponsoring a sloth crossing is another interesting way to get involved. Plant more trees that are sloth friendly to regenerate their habitat for sloths. Take this day as an opportunity to learn more about sloths and teach others as well.

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