Photo by Juan Arredondo juanarre | A baby two-toed sloth peeks out of a basket at Aiunau sanctuary in Medellin, Colombia. The sloth was rescued from the illegal pet trade. The baskets provide a cozy retreat, mimicking the warm embrace of a mother’s arms. Two-toed sloths are not as heavily trafficked as three-toed sloths because they can be more aggressive toward humans. People often mistakenly think sloths are unperturbed by human handling—their faces even give the impression they’re smiling—but the animals are stressed easily, and many poached from the wild die quickly in captivity. Before the pandemic, writer natashaldaly and I set out in northern Colombia to track down a sloth cartel, as part of National Geographic's continuing coverage of wildlife trade and tourism. We'd learned about Isaac Bedoya, who police believe trafficked 10,000 baby sloths before he was arrested. We met poachers and followed them as they searched for sloths in territory largely controlled by armed groups,...