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Thirty-six animals were seized in Peruvian airport, halting plans to illegally traffic them to Europe.

Rainforest Awareness Rescue and Education Center (RAREC) were called to assist with the confiscation of sloths and tamanduas, 9 of which had already died. Nineteen of the animals were rescued by RAREC. 

RAREC is a Non-Profit Organization whose core program is the rescue and rehabilitation of confiscated or injured species for future release. The center also serves as a research facility for Amazonian wildlife, with the goal of protecting existing wildlife populations.

RAREC announced on October 1st that they had been called during the early hours to attend the confiscation that had taken place at Iquitos airport, where the animals were supposed to be flown to Europe. Two vets accompanied by two vet students arrived and administered first aid to the two-toed sloths (Choloepus didactylus) and southern tamanduas (Tamandua tetradactyla), which were all severely dehydrated, with many having infections and diarrhea. Indeed, nine sloths had already died, most likely from a mix of heat stroke, starvation and dehydration.

RAREC rescued 15 sloths and 4 tamanduas, with the rest of the surviving animals being cared for by Amazon Rescue Center (CREA). The 4 tamanduas have since moved to another institution with specialized care. RAREC could not ignore the call for help, and leave the animals to an uncertain fate, despite not having the space and facilities to care for such a large number of wild sloths. Edmundo Parada, RAREC's wildlife vet, tells us that they informed the authorities that the room where the sloths are currently being housed isn't suitable for more than 3 days care, and when RAREC took the sloths on, they were planning to release them back into the wild within that time frame. However RAREC is being made to keep the animals for at least 15 days, due to the ongoing police investigation. In reality, the sloths may stay in captivity for months, in unsuitable conditions. The law states that to release sloths, behavioral studies need to be undertaken to ensure they are not humanized, as well as needing a study on a suitable release site. It is likely that the animals were taken from the wild only a week before confiscation, therefore they are not currently humanized. They are wild sloths, that are not going to adapt to life in captivity, evidenced by the death of one of the rescued sloths, this morning. Their best chance of survival is to be released as soon as possible .

RAREC is campaigning for the sloths to be released as soon as possible, to increase their chance of survival and decrease the likelihood of humanization. 

The Rainforest Awareness Rescue and Education Center is a certified wildlife rescue center, operating thirty miles from the city of Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon. RAREC is authorized by the Peruvian government to operate as a wildlife center, and they work in close cooperation with the Peruvian Environmental police, to rescue and rehabilitate animals in danger. From their base in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, they rescue wild animals in danger, to bring them to their facility for treatment, as they prepare them, if it is possible, for their return to the wild. RAREC receives no government funding so relies on donations from members of the public and sponsorship from partners such as Nashville Zoo, Georgia Aquarium and Pittsburgh Zoo and Save the Manatee. Their mission is to stop the poachers, and to give their victims a new lease on life. 

Millions of animals are taken from their habitats to live in homes as pets, feeding a thriving illegal trade in wildlife.

 
Much of this can be attributed to the popularity of e-commerce and social media websites.
Rampant poaching for the exotic pet trade is devastating animal populations worldwide. 

Countless animals are taken from the wild before they're sold as pets. After an animal is plucked from the wild—often in violation of the law—it might be used in a breeding operation, sold locally, smuggled out of the country, or intentionally mislabeled as captive-bred and exported legally.

The exotic pet business also affects humans and animals not involved in the trade. Wild animals have the potential to attack their owners or spread disease, such as Ebola and SARS. An outbreak of exotic Newcastle disease (END), which resulted in the deaths of 12 million birds in the US in the 1970s, was traced to parrots smuggled from South America.

 
(Jani Hall, Nationalgeographic.com, Illegal pet trade explained, 02/20/2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/exotic-pet-trade