Don't let animals in the Amazon, like a sloth named Machito, suffer in silence. Sign our Wildlife Selfie Code.
Sloths like Machito (meaning 'little man') are cruelly taken from the wild for selfies with tourists. When he arrived in our partner sanctuary in Colombia, his little body showed clear signs of the abuse he had suffered. At just six months old, he had sores where a rope had been tied around his arms and his left arm wasn't working properly. His long nails, which act as toes for sloths, were broken and one of the nails from his right foot was completely missing. He was crying out continuously, which is rare for sloths.
Machito has been carefully cared for since he arrived at the AIUNAU rehabilitation centre and has been slowly improving. It will take another year before Machito is ready to be released into the wild.
While Machito's story is heartbreaking, there is hope for him unlike so many other wild animals used in the growing wildlife selfie trade. Every selfie with a sloth or other wild animal is capturing a life of misery.
Sign our Wildlife Selfie Code now and help filter cruelty out of selfies.
Here is the Wildlife Selfie Code from Machito's point of view.
DO take a selfie with me if:
- You keep a safe distance from me
- I'm in my natural home
- I'm free to move, and not captive
DON'T take a selfie with me if:
- I'm being hugged, held or restrained
- You're baiting me with food
- I could harm you
Thank you for being side by side with animals. Together, we are moving the world to protect animals.
