THE DEMAND
FOR EXOTIC
ANIMALS THAT
TOURISTS CAN
TOUCH HAS LED
TO ANIMALS
BEING TAKEN
ILLEGALLY
FROM THE WILD.
SOME, SUCH AS
AMAZONIAN
SLOTHS,
TYPICALLY DIE
AFTER WEEKS
OR MONTHS IN
CAPTIVITY.On a platform in
Puerto Alegría, a tiny
Peruvian town on
the banks of the
Amazon River, tourists
visit a one-stop wildlife
menagerie. This
anteater, which was on
a diet that included
flavored yogurt, is one
of dozens of animals
caught illegally in
the jungle for tourist
photos. Last December,
authorities rescued
22 animals from the
town. They didn’t
find the anteater.68 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC