So here I am on a motor boat navigating around the Amazon River. Since the forest is so dense and full of so many places to hide, you can see much more wildlife on the water. Our boat had an English speaking guide who did most of the talking, while a Brazilian assistant navigated and did most of the animal spotting. So Moises, our Brazilian guide, saw the sloth way up high in a tree. Then he dove into the pirana-filled water that we were told not to evn dip our hands into, climbed the tree, put a t-shirt over the sloth, and brought the poor guy onto the boat for all of us to snap photos with him. I was half disgusted with myself for being one of the obnoxious tourists that allow this to happen every day, and half thrilled to get the shot. You have to hold the little guy from his back and essentially pin his arms open so that he can't claw you with his incredibly sharp, long nails. His fur was spiky and clumped together - kind of like wet dog, but his face had the cutest, though I'm sure unintentional, smile. It was a completely staged tourist attraction but I fell for it like everyone else.
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