Cartagena – Sloths, red squirrels, and capuchins (Colombia)

Last night, I went to Centennial Park just outside the old city of Cartagena. I had seen capuchin monkeys here on earlier days and had heard there were also sloths. While there with the monkeys, the three women from the tour I took in the morning to the Bazurto market happened to wander by. Cartegana can feel small sometimes. We each got pictures of the monkeys (which are released pets) and then went to find a sloth. We saw one and got pictures but he was high in a tree.

So this morning I went out early and looked for the sloth and a guy walked up and pointed me to the tree he was currently in, right next to the one I was currently examining. I followed the sloth from tree to tree for about an hour and a half. He slowly crossed from tree to tree. Inch by inch, he got from one area of the park to near the edge of the park. To do so he had to use 7 or 8 different trees as conduits. A woman from Uruguay joined me watching the sloth. We even got a brief glimpse of a baby sloth (again high in a tree). She also wanted to see the monkeys and iguanas, and we found two iguanas but could not find the monkeys at the time.

There are also red squirrels in the park, as well as many birds. The local homeless people can point out where the sloths and monkeys are most of the time, just give them a bill or two. A security guard did come to hang around while I was out there alone and much of the time the other woman was with me. There are many homeless people there, but I never felt at all threatened by them. 

Sloths are so cute!