A Facebook post by the Ecuadorian transport police has gone viral after patrolling officers came across a furry friend who had ventured onto the road.
Just outside the city of Quevedo, Ecuador, a sloth was found in the centre of the road clinging to a metal pole. The officers made their way to the scene and managed to take the little creature to safety.
The animal was said to be in good health by a vet who attended the scene, and the officers made sure to take some snaps before letting them venture back into the wild.
The Ecuadorian transport police said on Facebook:
"Dear all, we thank everyone for your concern. We inform you that the sloth bear rescued by our uniforms was checked by a vet, who determined that it was in optimal condition to be returned to its habitat. We thank all those people who were interested in the health of the animal. We will continue to support these types of causes along with citizenry collaboration. Greetings to all."
According to the conservation and tourist board in Ecuador, sloths come in two species in the country and are famed for their slow movements.
They say:
"The Cloud Forests of Ecuador have two species of sloth: the diurnal three-toed sloth and the nocturnal two-toed sloth. It's very possible you'll spot one of the former while hiking in the forests."
"They are usually found hanging motionless from tree limbs or progressing at a painfully slow speed along a branch toward a particularly succulent bunch of leaves, which are their primary food source. Leaf digestion takes several days, and sloths defecate about once a week. Sloths are most fastidious with their toilet habits, always climbing down from their tree to deposit their weekly movement on the ground. Why they go to all this trouble is one of the mysteries of mammalian life in the tropics!"
[Based on reporting by: kingdomstv]
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