If you remember Sid from Ice Age, you know what sloths are. Now imagine boarding a bus with one hanging down from the ceiling.
Commuters in a Brazilian city bus were amused and befuddled at the sight of their co-passenger – a sloth.
The famously slow-moving animal must never have experienced speeds like that in his life before. The furry passenger, however, wasn’t out there for a tour of the city and was lost before it was rescued by the driver. Ronaldo Santana spotted the animal last Monday in the heavy traffic area of a motorway in the north-eastern city of Recife, Brazil.
“I pulled the bus over at the stop and I saw something moving, We then realised it was a sloth walking towards the cars,” he told local media. He, along with his conductor Marcio Albuquerque, did not want to leave the animal out there by itself. The too-slow tree-dweller would have been hit by one of the speeding cars in the city had it not been rescued. They opened the doors of the bus and let the animal in, who was more than happy to comply.
Um motorista de ônibus viu um bicho-preguiça tentando atravessar uma rua movimentada na cidade de Recife. Ele parou o veículo e o cobrador colocou o animal em segurança dentro do ônibus. Depois, encaminharam o animal para o órgão responsável para ser solto novamente. pic.twitter.com/6Pw99XGV8H
— Biodiversidade Brasileira (@BiodiversidadeB) January 12, 2021
They then took it to the nearest police station to help the animal reach its proper destination. According to Santana, this was the first time in his 17-year-long bus driving career that he saw a sloth out on the road in the middle of the city. He said it was good chance that he was on duty that day, at that place, as he got the chance to “save the little creature.”
The South American native animal must have wandered off away from the jungle. The conductor, Albuquerque, said he is thankful to God for choosing him to save the animal. At the same time, it pains his heart to see so many animals die because “deforestation in the area is terrible.” He urged that people should take better care of nature.
He told local media that he felt absolutely no fear when he went to fetch the animal. Sloths have dangerously long claws which can be a scary sight for many.
“I love animals, I always carry food, water and some remedies for wounds to give to street animals,” he said. Albuquerque explained that he initially wanted to drop the sloth to the nearest woods so it could find its way home. But he was afraid someone would snatch it or it would get harmed, so they decided to turn to the police.
He said as soon as the animal was inside, passengers got curious and started clicking pictures. He added that its common to see caimans and agoutis but sloths are not so common in the city.