Page 98 - CARIBE TOURIST GUIDE

Protected Areas
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Aviarios del Caribe Wildlife Refuge
The Caribbean Wildlife Refuge is the only sloth research center in the world that also rescues and rehabilitates sloths. Their goal is to educate the public about them.
Both of the species of sloth that inhabit Costa Rica are found in the Caribbean Wildlife Refuge: the two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni) and the three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus).
The Río Estrella delta provides shelter and food for a multitude of animals. The small Aviarios del Caribe Wildlife Refuge is located at the mouth of the Estrella River.
This 88-hectare private property, provides refuge for monkeys, sloths, caimans, river otters, turtles and approximately 320 different bird species such as the white-collared manakin (Manacus candeii), the parrot, the toucan, the oropendola, the collared aracari, the black-crowned night heron, and some species of vultures and hawks.
The refuge is also home to a copious variety of mammals such as the anteater, deer, common opossum, raccoon, otter, coati and kinkajou,
and reptiles and amphibians such as the caiman and diverse species of frogs, lizards, turtles and iguanas, not to mention innumerable species of butterflies and insects.
This protected area includes lush vegetation of lowland tropical rainforest, tropical rainforest, marshes and mangroves, and also includes the Río Estrella delta. It was formerly covered by banana plantations.
The area surrounding the Río Estrella Valley has fabulous protected areas such as the Hitoy-Cerere Biological Reserve and the Bananito Jungle, as well as the World of Orchids, which is home to several hundred species of these plants. The region’s economy is supported by the banana plantations, which are the lifeblood of the small villages in the valley.