Adorable Moment Photographer Helps Baby Sloth and Mother ‘Thanks Him’

A viral video of a nature photographer helping a baby sloth back to its mother is lighting up the internet.

The sweet video has racked up millions of views on Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

PetaPixel couldn’t determine the exact origin of the video but in the original audio, the man speaks Portuguese.

“The sloth puppy fell and she will come and look for him here, how beautiful,” says the benevolent photographer.

The photographer, who is apparently walking through a forested area, comes across the baby sloth at the bottom of the tree while its mother is further up.

The man picks up the baby sloth and hands it back to its mother who immediately puts an arm around it in a show of affection. Of course, the photographer then raises his camera to take a photo.

The camera cuts to the mother sloth as she outstretches an arm which the photographer takes by the claw and shakes it before waving goodbye.

However, not everyone is convinced that what humans interpret as the sloth thanking him is actually the case.

“I work at a sanctuary that has a few two-toed sloths. This is exactly what they do when they want to bite you,” writes one Redditor.

“The sloth is actually warning the person to stay away with the raised arm. Just because it looks cute, doesn’t mean that it is. If you ever see a sloth, do not touch it. That goes for every wild animal by the way, ” writes another Redditor in a public service announcement.

Whatever the truth, it probably is advisable not to interfere with wild animals unless a wildlife expert greenlights it.

Last April, a lovable sloth named Gerard photobombed a major rocket launch in South America when he unexpectedly appeared on the livestream.