This is the moment a boy encounters a sloth while ziplining through the rainforest in Costa Rica.
The boy, who has not been named, was walking through the forest canopy with a guide in the Go.Adventure Arenal park, which is located on the slopes of the Arenal volcano, when on Sunday, March 13, he stumbled upon an unexpected obstacle.
In the video filmed by the guide, the child can be seen head-on colliding with the hulking animal, which somehow managed to climb a rope from the trees.
A boy ziplined down an adventure park near Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica on Sunday, March 13.
The sloth somehow managed to climb onto a cable from a nearby tree, falling right into the path of an approaching child.
In the footage, the man can be heard telling the child to “don’t slow down” as they hit the road.
They pick up speed quickly before a sloth comes into view.
The boy is racing so fast that he cannot slow down before he collides with the animal, causing it to come to an abrupt stop.
A child is heard saying “I just punched him right in the face” after a head-on collision.
After a moment to gather himself, the handler untangles the boy and the sloth, and the furry animal begins to walk along the line, even seemingly waving to the pair as they go.
The video shows the kid having a great time before he suddenly stops after being confronted by a sloth.
After the collision, the boy can be heard saying, “I just shot him right in the face.” That’s right, the animal starts to walk away and seems to be waving.
Flavio Leighton Ramos, owner of the park, said that, fortunately, the sloth and the baby are fine.
“So seven people walked this cable and there was no sloth on it, and within 30 seconds the sloth was on the cable,” he said.
“The good thing is that the kid did a great job using the brake, and also because he had a guide with him, he was able to handle the situation.
“But really, the kid did a great job.
“The sloth or child was not hurt and they just had to wait for the sloth to get out of the way, about 15 minutes.”
The video was widely shared online, with social media users on Reddit ridiculing the situation.
“By the time they come down, he will be about 20,” both sides wrote, referring to the sloth’s extremely slow movement.
Kasvnova suggested that in order to get around the animal, the couple should “knock it down, it will fall in slow motion, don’t worry.”
illevonynot joked: “What with all this nature prevents me from knowing nature ?!”
yomamy said, “To be honest, I don’t know how these things are still alive, but I’m so glad they’re alive.”
Reddit users were surprised by the video, with many expressing concern for the animal’s welfare.
Sloths are tree-dwelling animals that inhabit the rainforests of Central and South America and are characterized as laid-back.
Furry animals move incredibly slowly, crawling up the canopy at a speed of 40 yards a day, which is the result of their extremely slow metabolism.
They also sleep between 15 and 20 hours a day, making their name very appropriate, and spend 90 percent of their lives hanging upside down.
Their calm nature and sweet looks make them a favorite among animal lovers.
As people moved into their habitats, sloths were killed trying to cross the road and climb telegraph poles.
Last year, firefighters in Panama had to rescue a sloth that was clinging to a telegraph pole.
The video shows the emergency services of the town of Alcalde Diaz dropping a sloth stuck on a pole on January 13.
Although reluctant to let go at first, the animal releases its grip after a few tugs and can be seen waving its arms around trying to find something else to grab on to.
What happened to the sloth later is unknown.