5 miles for a sloth?

June 4, 2009

If there was any doubt before, the students of the little school in the jungle were now certain that the resident white girl was utterly mad. After all, what sane person would trek off through the jungle 5 miles one way just to see a sloth? But this is exactly what she had done. One phone call from the other white girl in Mashabo and she was off, she didn't even wait to eat lunch. As her friends shook their heads, and wondered to themselves about her mental soundness, somewhere down the jungle trail she was walking quickly toward her destination...

Not long after my arrival in Guyana, I had assembled a mental list of the animals I particularly wanted to see. First and foremost a jaguar, but some of the others included a tapir, a giant anteater, a capybara, and a sloth among others. One would think that soon after living in the jungle for a few months I would have been able to check off the objects of interest, but as one friend delicately put it: "You're not living in a zoo!"

In the past several weeks, my sister, who is now living over in Mashabo, reported that several times sloths have been spotted in various locations around her village. Although she had not been lucky enough to be in the same location as these interesting mammals at the right time, she informed me that it was currently sloth mating season so she was hoping for a personal encounter. I advised her that if she did happen to spot a sloth, she should catch it and call me. No matter the time, I was resolved to walk the 5 miles just to see the unusual creature.

Then one morning, after I finished my CPR class, I received a phone call. A breathless voice on the other end of the line blurted out "Come over here quick, we caught a sloth. We'll tie it up so you can see it." Without even a second thought I grabbed a small backpack, a water bottle, and an umbrella, just in case, and quickly headed off in the direction of Mashabo.

One hour, and ten minutes later, I arrived at my sisters house. There on the ground, with a long rope tied around his middle, was a real live sloth. He looked pitifully awkward trying to crawl in the grass with claws made for tree dwelling. Reaching down, I lifted him up to get a better look, and he quickly latched on to my side much like a small toddler would sit, perched on one hip. His long neck ended in a very small head, that reminded me of an old man. As he looked around, his mouth seemed fixed in a permanent smile.

For the next hour, while my sister finished up her afternoon of classes, I entertained our small friend. After school was finished for the day, I was joined by Alexis, and a troop of school children who gathered around to watch and laugh as the white girls "hugged up on" the sloth, and took multiple pictures. The rest of the afternoon was spent interacting with the unique mammal, I couldn't help but wonder at God's apparent sense of humor in creating such diverse, and sometimes comical creatures.

As the sun began to creep closer, and still closer to the horizon, I knew that very soon I would have to begin the 5 mile walk back to school, if I did not want to be caught walking in the dark. So the two of us set out into the jungle to find a suitable location to release our new friend. After seeing his slow, clumsy movements on the ground, I was surprised to witness his rapid ascent as he climbed up into the green canopy, and was soon out of sight.

Hiking back up the hill toward her house, Alexis and I couldn't help but speak with excitement about the days activities. And as I began my 5 mile walk back toward the school, I almost wished that in my travels I would encounter another animal on my list: the elusive jaguar...