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The Sloth Conservation Foundation - SloCo

Fund raising for the future of sloth conservation

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The Sloth Conservation Foundation - SloCo

The Sloth Conservation Foundation - SloCo

The Sloth Conservation Foundation - SloCo

The Sloth Conservation Foundation - SloCo

The Sloth Conservation Foundation - SloCo

Fund raising for the future of sloth conservation

Fund raising for the future of sloth conservation

Fund raising for the future of sloth conservation

Fund raising for the future of sloth conservation

Rebecca Cliffe
Rebecca Cliffe
Rebecca Cliffe
Rebecca Cliffe
3 Campaigns |
Swansea, United Kingdom
$7,377 USD 107 backers
147% of $5,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 3 Projects Mountain Filled 3 Projects

SloCo – The Sloth Conservation Foundation

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported our original campaign to fund essential research into sloth genetics - we hit our $5000 target within 12 days! Because we still have 6 weeks left before the campaign ends, I have decided to take this opportunity to fund raise for the future of sloth conservation. I have been living, breathing, and working with sloths for 6 years now, and although I have met many passionate people along the way who are all dedicating their lives to protecting these wonderful animals, I believe that there is something very important missing: unity. 

Every day hundreds of sloths are falling victim to the land development, urbanization, and habitat destruction occurring in South and Central America. From power line electrocutions and dog attacks, to road collisions, habitat loss and human cruelty – it is a long and sad list of threats. Thankfully there are a number of individual groups working tirelessly to protect the sloths through research and/or rehabilitation programs, but I have found there to be a worrying lack of collaboration or sharing of information between parties. This is not to discredit anybody’s hard work, people are simply doing the best they can with what they have available. But there is only so much that can be achieved alone -  just imagine what we could accomplish if we were all to pool our ideas, resources and expertise and work together for the greater benefit of sloths.

For this reason, I am endeavoring to create the Sloth Conservation Foundation (SloCo) – a registered non-profit organisation that will be dedicated to saving sloths in the wild through research and conservation initiatives. We will bring together all people, partners, and institutions working globally with sloths to achieve lasting conservation solutions. The aim of the Sloth Conservation Foundation will not be to rescue or rehabilitate injured animals, but rather to prevent them from needing rescue in the first place. While other groups will perform the necessary triage, we will work on curing the root cause.

Such conservation strategies will include (for example): education programs in local communities; campaigning for underground power lines; planting forest corridors to connect fragmented habitats; construction of wildlife bridges across major roads; tree surveys to ensure that the species needed to support sloths are plentiful enough; and international education programs to reduce poaching for the sloth pet trade and tourist photo opportunities (these animals are often plucked out of the wild and sold to unsuspecting sloth lovers).

Meeting these goals will be a challenge, but as my track record shows, if I believe in something then I will throw my heart and soul into it. I believe that by working together as a united front, we will have the power to secure a brighter future for sloths throughout Central and South America. 

The key missions of the Sloth Conservation Foundation will be:

•To fund and coordinate high quality research into the biology, ecology, genetics, evolution and physiology of all 6 sloth species. 

•To create an accessible database of scientific knowledge. Making all sloth research publications (past and present) available to the people who really need them – the people working in the field – and to break down the results into usable applications for the benefit of sloths.

•To tackle the issues that sloths are facing in the wild by developing and implementing conservation strategies, working from the ground up through education of local communities to lobbying for change at a government level.

•To create a united community of people all working together towards the research, conservation and protection of sloths, facilitating the sharing of information, advice, successes and failures.

All additional donations that we receive above our initial $5000 goal will go towards building the Sloth Conservation Foundation. Costs will include creating a website, logo design, drawing up and submitting official non-profit documentation etc. 

Alternatively, if there are any website or graphic designers out there who would be willing to get involved by donating their time – please send me a message with some samples of your work at rebeccacliffe06@gmail.com! I would be delighted to collaborate with you on this project!

Thank you again for your support and I look forward to stepping forwards on this journey with you. 

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After launching this campaign just 15 days ago, I am delighted to announce that we have smashed our fundraising target of $5000! THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to help us reach this point – the genetic analysis can now 100% go ahead and it really is going to make a huge difference. I have broken the good news to Dr. Sonia Consuegra (the geneticist at Swansea University who will be running the analysis) and she has already begun preparing to order the necessary laboratory chemicals. I will keep you updated as the project progresses – we should be starting to see some results within the next few months!

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ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN


Last year we ran a successful Indiegogo campaign to fund our research into the genetic diversity of wild sloth populations in Costa Rica. In particular, we are interested in finding out why so many wild sloths are being born with birth defects (including missing / malformed limbs and partial or full albinism). We suspect that these deformities are the direct result of either extensive habitat fragmentation, or the excessive use of pesticides for agriculture. However, before we can develop any targeted conservation strategies, we have to fully understand the root cause of the problem - and that means completing the necessary genetic research. Following the success of our previous campaign, we were able to collect hair samples from over 300 wild sloths, but we are now lacking the final injection of funds to complete the laboratory analysis.

THE PROBLEM (our original campaign)

My name is Rebecca Cliffe and I am currently studying sloths for my PhD under the supervision of Professor Rory Wilson at Swansea University (UK). I have been researching the ecology, biology and physiology of both wild and captive sloths for 6 years in collaboration with the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica. Two years ago we ran the Save Our Sloths Indiegogo campaign, raising funds to develop a release program for hand-reared orphans, and we are now expanding our efforts in order to mitigate the problems being faced by wild sloth populations. This project is being completed in collaboration with Dr Sofia Consuegra, a geneticist from Swansea University. 

The Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica have now received 7 orphaned baby sloths showing birth defects. The affected sloths were all C.hoffmanni infants originating from the Limon province on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. The deformities have all been strikingly similar; missing fingers/toes, malformed ears, misshapen limbs and partial or full albinism. High numbers of birth defects like this in any population are a warning sign that something is seriously wrong. We are growing increasingly concerned about the impact that habitat fragmentation and potential inbreeding are having on the genetic health of the wild sloth populations.

Habitat fragmentation 

With the rapidly expanding human population driving deforestation to an unprecedented level, the rainforest habitat that the sloths depend on is becoming more and more fragmented. Roads, farms, towns and cities now dominate the landscape, cutting the once continuous forest into smaller and more isolated segments. For animals such as sloths that have limited dispersal abilities, habitat fragmentation can be detrimental to the species. Through a reduction in population size, lack of immigration and inbreeding, the loss of habitat connectivity can quickly result in the extinction of whole populations due to a loss of genetic diversity. This is one of the most important factors that determines the adaptability and survival of a species. One of the major warning signs associated with a loss of genetic diversity in a population is a high incidence of congenital birth defects. 

Unfortunately, we suspect that the observed birth defects are just the tip of the iceberg. Humans are not only encroaching on the rainforest in this region; it is happening daily throughout central and South America. Furthermore, the deformed sloths that arrive at the sanctuary are just the lucky few who were found and rescued - they will be a tiny percentage of a much bigger number. By identifying the root cause of the observed congenital disorders, this opens the door for us to mitigate the problem through the development of targeted conservation strategies. If we can identify habitat fragmentation and inbreeding as the driving factor, we can then aim to restore genetic diversity within the populations by promoting habitat connectivity. 


WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP (AGAIN):

Regardless of whether the observed deformities are due to habitat fragmentation or pesticides, one thing remains glaringly obvious - this is not a problem that will fix itself. In fact, with the human population booming to unprecedented levels, the problem is growing rapidly worse. In the 11 months since the previous campaign ended, the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica have received an additional two deformed baby sloths, and the Jaguar Rescue Center have recently received their first orphaned juvenile showing partial albinism. Perhaps most concerning though is an email that I received from the Panamanian Government. They were requesting our help because of the sheer number of deformed baby sloths being found in their Cerro Ancón reserve. 

In short, if we want to mitigate this problem, we must act now. 

The good news is that with generous help from sloth lovers all over the world, our campaign last year was a huge success. As a result, we have managed to collect data and hair samples from over 300 wild-born sloths (both two-fingered C.hoffmanni and three-fingered B.variegatus) originating from over 97 different regions in Costa Rica. This is a far larger sample size than has ever been studied before and it will undoubtedly provide us with the answers that we need. 

At the end of last year we were able to export the samples and they are currently all sat in Swansea University awaiting microsatellite analysis - but we once again need your help in order to complete the final stage of this research,


WHAT DO WE NEED?

Although our initial fundraiser did budget for the laboratory costs of genetic analysis, the field work turned out to be more expensive than anticipated. A lot of this is due to the amount of time, resources and equipment that it took to achieve such a large sample size, but also due to the overseen fees that we had to pay to complete the work. Thankfully, we don't need much more in order to complete the project, and $5000 will cover everything. 

Budget breakdown:

$450 - DNA extraction kits

$1150 - Labelled primers

$600 - Microsatellite amplification kit

$2000 - Running the samples

$500 - Indiegogo / PayPal / Credit card fee's and perk fulfillment 

$300 - Research publication fees

It is frustrating to know that after all of our hard work to collect the samples we need in order to understand this problem, they are now sat in a freezer at Swansea University - and it is just the final injection of funds that is standing in our way. 


HOW YOU CAN HELP:

100% of the funds raised from this campaign will go towards purchasing the necessary laboratory consumables to allow the microsatellite analysis of the collected sloth hair samples.  Following the completion of this fundraiser, I will be happy to upload a full spending report outlining everything that was purchased using the funds raised.

If you can donate any amount, no matter how big or small, it will be a step towards our goal - every single dollar counts. With your help, I passionately believe that we can make a positive impact to the conservation of sloths throughout Central and South America.Together we have the chance to really make a difference. 

You can also help by sharing this page with as many people as possible. 

Thank you for your support.


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Choose your Perk

A big sloth thank you!

$10 USD
For your donation you will receive a huge thank you from the sloths and our eternal gratitude.
12 claimed

A sloth hug

$25 USD
This contribution will get you a virtual sloth hug and a huge thank you from all of the sloths here at the sanctuary!
Estimated Shipping
June 2016
17 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Certificate of thanks

$50 USD
For this donation, we will email you a personalized PDF certificate thanking you for your contribution towards the project.
Estimated Shipping
June 2016
8 out of 1000 of claimed

Individual sloth photo print

$100 USD
We will post to you a beautiful, professionally printed photo showing one of the wild sloths that was sampled from during this study . You will also be sent a personalized thank you certificate for your contribution.
Estimated Shipping
June 2016
7 out of 350 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Large signed photo & sloth bio

$200 USD
We will send you a large (8X12) beautiful print showing one of the wild sloths that was sampled during this study, signed by sloth researcher Rebecca Cliffe. We will also include a biography of the sloth in the photo, containing information such as the sloths age, species and location found. A personalized thank you certificate will also be included .
Estimated Shipping
June 2016
1 out of 300 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Signed DVD, photo print & bio

$300 USD
In return for this generous donation, you will receive a copy of Animal Planet's "Meet the Sloths" DVD TV series, signed by sloth researcher Rebecca Cliffe who appears in the show. You will also receive a large, signed photo print showing one of the sloths sampled during this study, a biography of the sloth in the photo (including details such as age, species and location found) as well as a personalized certificate of thanks.
Estimated Shipping
June 2016
0 out of 10 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Goodie bag & acknowledgements

$500 USD
In return for your support, we will send to you a surprise goodie-bag of sloth gifts, including a signed Meet the Sloths DVD, a large printed photograph of one of the sloths sampled during this study, a biography of the sloth in the photograph, and a selection of surprise gifts. You will also have your name printed in the acknowledgements of all scientific publications that result from the completion of this work!
Estimated Shipping
June 2016
2 out of 9 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Meet the team!

$1,000 USD
In return for this generous donation we will invite you to visit the Animal Movement lab at Swansea University where you will meet the research team, including sloth biologist Rebecca Cliffe and Professor Rory Wilson. You will have the opportunity to see the analysis in action and to assist with the formation of any scientific publications that will result from this work. You will also receive a large signed photograph and biography of one of the sloths sampled during this study.
Estimated Shipping
June 2016
1 out of 4 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Sloth DNA portrait

$1,050 USD
You will receive your very own DNA portrait from a wild sloth that was sampled during this study. The finished product will include the unique genetic fingerprint of the particular sloth, over an image or silhouette of the animal. You will also receive a large, signed photo print & biography of the individual sloth, and will be invited to visit Swansea University to meet the team, see the analysis in action and get involved with the formation of scientific publications resulting from this work!
Estimated Shipping
June 2016
1 out of 4 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
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