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Project News

2009-12-18

The Sloth

Please don't get me wrong; "sloth" here doesn't refer to anyone. It refers to the tropical mammal called the sloth.  Yesterday morning, on my way to work, we saw a sloth hanging from the branch of a tree along the roadside.  I had seen a sloth before in a zoo in Japan, and here in Panama I had seen them twice as road kill, but this was the first time to see a live sloth in its natural habitat.  Even after we parked and got out of the car to observe it, the sloth showed no signs that it intended to move at all and just hung there quietly.  A colleague from work passed by the place soon after lunch, and he said that the sloth was still in the same tree.

They say that the sloth was given its name because of its slow movements or because it sleeps most of the day (20 hours a day!).  In Spanish it is called the "lazy monkey" and in Japanese just "the lazy one".  But when you think about its calm and serene nature, I couldn't help but wish that it had been given a better name.  Why not the "philosopher" or the "thinker" instead of the sloth?

In any case, a merry Christmas to everyone and I hope next year will be a good one for you!

(Photos 1 & 2) The sloth hanging from a tree by the side of the road near Madden Dam. (October 16, 2009)

(Mr. Isao SAKAI, Chief Advisor / Rural Development)

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