Tourist Runs Into Confused Sloth While Ziplining in Viral TikTok: WATCH
A little boy who went ziplining through the Costa Rica rainforest had a close encounter of the wild kind when he crashed into a sloth that was hanging on the line.
Thankfully, neither the boy nor the sloth were injured in the high-up, head-on collision.
In a video shot by a Go Adventure Arenal Park tour guide, the anonymous child can be seen gliding down the zipline, cocooned by the lush green slopes of the Arenal volcano, when he suddenly crashes headfirst into an unsuspecting sloth.
The sloth and the boy appear equally shocked by the collision. After a few moments, the furry tree-dweller appears to be unharmed as it composes itself, appears to wave goodbye to the boy and begins to make its way down the line.
See the video for yourself below. Can you imagine the surprise from both of these ziplining adventurers?
According to The Daily Mail, Flavio Leiton Ramos, owner of the park located in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, confirmed both the child and the sloth were A-OK following the encounter. The sloth took nearly 15 minutes to make its way back to safety, finally allowing the tourist to glide past.
"Seven people went on that cable, and there was no sloth on it, and within 30 seconds, a sloth got on the cable," he told Daily Mail. "The good thing was that the child was doing a great job by using the brake, and also since the tour guide was with him, was able to handle the situation, but really the child did a great job."
In an interview with USA Today, Ramos praised the young tourist for his skills. "The good thing about it is the child knew how to do the zipline well and knew how to brake."
"This is the first time someone has ever run into a sloth," Ramos continued. "It's one of those things that happened that probably will never happen again."