Dirk had never seen a crab as big as this one before. He grabbed it and took a photo of it.
The crab was surprisingly calm, and Dirk decided to bring it home to show his wife. Little did he know how much he would regret this decision later.
A Cozy Lodge
Lori and Dirk Morgan owned a small cozy lodge in Costa Rica. Although the business wasn't huge, it was enough to keep them happy.
One day, the pair had two guests staying at their lodge.
Two Visitors
The two visitors seemed friendly, and Lori and Dirk suggested a few places they should visit during their trip.
Dirk cooked a delicious BBQ for their guests while looking out at the beach. Then, suddenly, he noticed something strange laying on the sand.
A Strange Item
The item stood out among the rest of the beach, and it didn't look like a rock.
At first, Dirk thought it was a piece of wood, but then it started to move on its own.
Ignoring It
Initially, Dirk decided to ignore the creature and turn his attention back to the food, but his curiosity got the best of him.
There was something mysterious about the creature on the beach, and he decided to go and check it out.
Strange Creature
He asked his wife to watch the lunch and walked towards the shore.
He carefully approached the brown lump, hoping it wasn't dangerous. But, as he got closer, he noticed it had huge claws and fur. What was it?
Loud Sound
The creature looked at Dirk and made a loud sound he had never heard before.
As he slowly approached the animal, a big wave came from behind him.
Saving The Animal
Dirk knew the wave would wash the creature away if he didn't intervene. So he ran towards the animal and picked it up.
He pulled off his apron and scooped up the little creature just in time.
Going Home
Derek brought it home and asked his wife to give him a box and a blanket.
He needed to make sure the animal wasn't sick or hurt before releasing it back into the wild.
Confused
"What on earth is that?!" Lori asked, looking at the furry animal. "I have no idea, but let's get it clean," her husband responded.
The guests that were staying with them were also curious about the animal. No one knew what it actually was.
Cleaning The Animal
Dirk rinsed the creature with fresh, clean water and washed the sand away.
He still had no idea what it was. Could it be dangerous?
Baby Sloth
As it turns out, he was looking at a baby sloth! Sloths can be found all over Costa Rica and several other tropical countries.
This sloth had somehow fallen out of the tree and ended up on the shore.
Exhausted
The sloth looked exhausted and quickly fell asleep in Dirk's hands.
He knew he had to help the poor animal, so he pulled out his phone and made a call.
Happy Visitors
The couple's guests had never seen a sloth before. They took a few photos with the adorable animal before giving it back to Dirk.
Then, half an hour later, the animal rescue team showed up at their door.
At The Clinic
Everyone was sad to see the baby sloth go, but they knew he would be better off in the wild.
The sloth was taken to a special clinic for wild animals and the staff took great care of him. A week later, he was released back into the wild. We hope the sloth will reunite with his family!