The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) notified the US Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS) of their intent to sue to agency for failing to make a 12 month finding as required by the Endangered Species Act(ESA) on whether to list the Pygmy three- toed sloth as endangered. In 2013 an emergency petition was filed with the USFWS to list the species. This was filed in 2013, and at the time only 79 of these sloths were believed to remain in the wild. It was estimated that at the earliest the USFWS was not likely to list this species until 2017. This petition is important to be listed under the ESA to prevent imports of the animal into the United States.

Back in September 2013, the Dallas World Aquarium captured atleast eight of these sloths with intent of exporting six to a facility in Texas,and two to a zoo in Panama. This removal accounted for 10 percent of the known remaining population, and at least two of the captured eight died before or immediately after their re-release.

Conservation efforts by the Zoological Society of London(ZSL) are being made to research and understand more about this endangered species and the threats it faces. They are also carrying out educational programs and workshops to increase local awareness, gain support for conservation, and to support local authorities in enforcing legal regulations. Although Escudo de Veraguas is protected, it’s natural resources can legally be utilized by local communities. The island is uninhabited, but there are seasonal residents that temporarily live on the island(such as fishermen and occasional tourists). These numbers are increasingly putting more pressure on small-scale logging and fishing industries.

A field team has been assembled by ZSL, and they visit the island twice a year to observe and monitor the Pygmy sloth population. The ZSL has also put radio collars and gps trackers on the sloths to find out how large an area each individual needs, and which parts of the island are used in different seasons. The majority of this field team are from the local communities. They have also resulted in five successful workshops within local communities; they discuss and explore sustainable use of the islands resources, while maintaining livelihood.

These biannual visits have been going on since 2014, and the ZSL has obtained the first officially confirmed records and photographs of sloths in the Forest.