This means that all 185 parties to CITES<\/a> (184 countries plus the European Union) will be subject to strict rules<\/a> including a requirement that exporting countries provide studies proving that the transaction will not affect the species\u2019 conservation.<\/p>\n The two species newly listed in CITES Appendix II are Linn\u00e9\u2019s two-toed sloth<\/a> (Choloepus didactylus), native to the Amazon, and Hoffmann\u2019s two-toed sloth <\/a>(Choloepus hoffmanni)<\/a>, which lives in the southern Amazon and parts of Central America. Two-fingered sloths are known to be more aggressive and faster<\/a> than their three-toed relatives.<\/p>\n The proposal<\/a> to strengthen their protection came from Brazil, Costa Rica and Panama, as a way \u201cto prevent illegal trafficking from increasing and its populations from declining.\u201d According to delegates from the three countries, wildlife traffickers have been tearing the sloths from the forests to be presented as attractions in tourist itineraries through South America; some tourists even buy a baby sloth to take home as a kind of exotic pet. Researchers have recorded instances of this illegal trade in public markets in Iquitos<\/a>, Peru, and Manaus<\/a>, Brazil.<\/p>\n \u201cDemand for sloth species has increased in recent years, particularly for live animals taken from the wild and destined for the pet trade,\u201d said N\u00e1dia de Moraes-Barros, who has studied sloths since the late 1990s and is the scientific coordinator for Freeland Brasil, an NGO that fights wildlife trafficking. The CITES approval reflects \u201cthe urgent need to regulate export and import activities,\u201d said Moraes-Barros, who is\u00a0also deputy chair of the specialist group on sloths<\/a> at the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority.<\/p>\n Traffickers\u2019 preferred targets are baby sloths, whose mothers are often killed to separate them, for exploitation in popular markets across Latin America or for exported to places like the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Few of them survive the extreme stress of being handled, confined or exposed to noisy crowds, with mortality rates reaching 99%.<\/p>\n The Sloth Conservation Foundation<\/a>, a nonprofit specializing in wild sloth conservation and research, celebrated the Appendix II inclusion, calling it \u201can important and long overdue step for sloth protection.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sloth Institute Costa Rica described the decision<\/a> as \u201can historic win for sloths\u201d and \u201ca HUGE step in the right direction.\u201d The country, whose national symbol is a sloth, launched the campaign Stop Animal Selfies<\/a> to raise tourist awareness about the negative impacts of selfies and photos that show direct contact with wild animals.<\/p>\n The International Fund for Animal Welfare<\/a> (IFAW), a global nonprofit that rescues, rehabilitates and releases animals, noted that 12 of the 51 proposals submitted by CITES members at the recent summit involved wild animals traded as pets. They covered more than 80 species<\/a>, including the golden-bellied mangabey<\/a> (Cercocebus chrysogaster), an endangered monkey native to the Congo Basin, and the peregrine falcon<\/a> (Falco peregrinus), the world\u2019s most widespread bird of prey. According to IFAW, the pattern highlighted in the proposals \u201csolidifies a concerning growing trend for the demand of wild animals traded as pets, that jeopardizes the future survival of wild populations.\u201d<\/p>\n The new rules will come into force 90 days<\/a> after their approval at the CITES summit.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0.-World-Animal-Protection-x3a_-Nando-Machado-B.variegatus-2-1200x800.jpg\")
Sloths are displayed to tourists in countries like Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Image courtesy of World Animal Protection\/Nando Machado.<\/p>\n