Interview with Sam Trull, Co-Founder of The Sloth Institute

Interview with Sam Trull, Co-Founder of The Sloth Institute

Soon after this interview took place, we heard the devastating news that Monster, whom the Sloth Institute successfully raised and returned to the wild, has sadly died.  This enormous stroke of bad luck was nobody´s fault and down to the hazards Sloth´s face daily with predators, which in this instance was a fatal attack by an ocelot in the rainforest.

Monster´s remarkable life brought light and inspiration to all those who followed her story and to the dedicated team at The Sloth Institute, we can only pass on our deepest condolences for the loss of your “Miracle Orphan”.

But in the desire to keep her memory alive, the vital conservation of the sloth´s has only become more determined.

So much work still needs to be done with the pressing urgency to finish the research laboratory, (Monster´s WiSH Lab), enabling the Sloth Institute to fully understand the health and habitat of these beautiful Costa Rican creatures.   And as Sam Trull says, “Despite the huge highs and sorrowful lows of this type of work, we will continue to devote our lives to ensuring the conservation of sloths on our planet.”

Sam Trull holds a newborn three-toed sloth born immediately after her mother, who was brain-damaged when she fell from a tree.  This was the world’s first emergency C-section ever performed on a sloth.

Sam Trull from the Sloth Institute in Costa Rica  Sam Trull from the Sloth Institute in Costa Rica

COSTA RICA CAUSES

Pura Vida Guide have just launched on Facebook a group to support all good causes in Costa Rica.

We were so inspired by Monster´s story several months ago and the remarkable work Sam Trull dedicates her life to at The Sloth Institute, we felt the need to promote and help raise awareness of deserving organizations within the Costa Rican community.

All worthy charities, organizations or even single individuals wishing to highlight any issue to improve the life and those around us, are welcome to join.

It could be just finding a home for a stray dog or meriting a good Samaritan for their benevolent kindness, all stories, debates and causes can be entered onto the page.  So to join our group, and make Costa Rica an even better place to live, go to Costa Rica Causes Facebook Group

To kick-off our new endeavor we will be highlighting the plight of The Sloth Institute in Manuel Antonio to build the Monster´s WiSH Lab in our follow-up article, but before that, co-founder, Sam Trull kindly took the time out of her busy schedule to answer a few of our questions.

SAM TRULL, co-founder of  THE SLOTH INSTITUTE

Sam Trull co-founder of the Sloth Institute in Costa Rica

 

Q: Why did you decide to come to Costa Rica?

I had worked with captive primates for a long time before moving to Costa Rica and while I LOVED the animals that I worked with I always had a hard time going home at the end of the day knowing that while I was enjoying my night going to dinner, watching TV, walking my dog in the park etc…they were stuck in that cage with only the things that we provided them.

I would always stay late to provide them with more and more enrichment because it never seemed like enough…I never felt like I could do enough for them because ultimately no matter what I did or provided they were still stuck in a cage.

I came to Costa Rica because I really wanted to spend my time working towards giving animals their freedom back and correcting the wrong – we as humans have created in their natural environment.”

Q: Could you tell us what inspired you to the sloths after the 15 years you worked with primates?

I met my first sloth and I fell in love pretty quickly. At the time there wasn’t a lot of public interest in sloths and there wasn’t much scientific interest either therefore there wasn’t a lot known about them…as compared to many primate species which are studied in pretty much every country around the world where they are found.

As someone stepping into the rehab world and working with sloths for the first time, I had a lot to learn and not many places to turn to to find the answers to my questions….but the questions didn’t go away…it just meant I needed to find my own answers.

In addition I’ve always been a fan of the underdogs…and sloths are like the underdogs of the forest.  Evolutionarily speaking they are considered pretty successful…but a wild environment can be pretty dangerous for a small three toed sloth already, then add onto it human caused dangers…and you just have these innocent, curious and gorgeous little creatures trying to survive and mind their own business….but constantly facing life threatening obstacles every day.

They are the perfect mix of fragile and fierce and I’ve just never found any personality in the animal kingdom to be more endearing.”

Q: What was your first “sloth” experience?

The first sloth I ever met was a young two-fingered sloth named Pelota…she was about 6 months old and I was learning how to feed her.  I remembered thinking how quiet and sweet she was just clinging to her teddy bear.

I met her during the day time (and two-fingered sloths are nocturnal) so I remember her falling asleep between feedings and I thought that it was pretty adorable.”

 

Q: Does your co-founder, Seda Sejud also work along side of you or is she more of an adviser? .

Seda and I work very closely together and we are a great team because she handles the business side of running a non-profit and I am able to focus on the animal side of everything that we do.

She works over time and coordinates large amounts of volunteers from all over the world to make sure we have the people and funds necessary to save the sloths!”

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SLOTH INSTITUTE, GO TO THEIR: WEBSITE

PLEASE HELP TO RAISE AWARENESS AND GO TO PURA VIDA GUIDE´S FACEBOOK:  COSTA RICA CAUSES

READ ALL ABOUT:  Monster´s WiSH LAB: Pure Vida Guide supports The Sloth Institute in Costa Rica

Photo taken from Sam Trull´s book on SLOTH LOVE

Sloth Intsitute in Manuel Antonio, Costa rica

 

 

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