Part Three: Gone Wild
Ecotourism can harm the very wild animals that visitors flock to Costa Rica to encounter.
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Costa Rica’s highways are packed with animal lovers searching for a glimpse of a sloth or red-eyed tree frog. Too many of the nation’s iconic animals are killed by vehicle strikes on the busy roads. -
Costa Rica has enlightened wildlife protection laws guided by the motto "when in doubt, favor nature." But the sheer number of tourists seeking wildlife encounters can stress or harm the animals they've come to see.
Wildlife Slideshow:
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A yellow-throated toucan in a tree near Sarapiquí (Kat Tran/WUFT News)
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Costa Rica’s national mammal, high in the trees at La Selva Biological Station (Nathan Thomas/WUFT News)
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A scarlet macaw perches in a tree near Sarapiquí (Caia Reese/WUFT News)
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A green iguana hangs out in a tree near Muelle San Carlos (Alex Land/WUFT News)
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A collared trogon in the cloud forest of Monteverde (Gabriella Chavez/WUFT News)
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An eyelash viper, a venomous arboreal snake, in the rainforest at La Selva Biological Station (Gabriella Chavez/WUFT News)
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A collared peccary at La Selva Biological Station (Gabriella Chavez/WUFT News)
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A bare-throated tiger heron along a river at La Selva Biological Station (Gabriella Chavez/WUFT News)
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A hummingbird in the cloud forest of Monteverde (Maria Avlonitis/WUFT News)
