hanging out with 3-toed sloths

Pet sloths?

If there is a rehab center, I doubt its allowed fro humans to hold the wild animals, leave them be for gods sake, its like the swimming with the dolphins and elephant rides, all for a tourist amusement...not in the interest of the animals...

Some of the locals still cook and eat sloths. The photos you've seen were of kitchen staff. Holding a sloth is tremendously stressful to it.

The is a rehab center in Cahuita which was a highlight of my last trip there; I highly recommend a visit there (it also has a guesthouse.) While you could get face to face with them, actual holding them was discouraged. Sloths are friendly but not pets. I wouldn't expect that you will find a place which will allow you to freely hold them.

Always heard that obese American tourists were being pursued, caught, and eaten by Sloths in CR.

No...you got it all wrong....obese americans are being mistaken for sloths....

Found a description of Sloths:

Sloths move at the speed of a congessional debate but with greater deliberation and less noise.

There is a refuge near Cahuita that rescues orphaned sloths and works to rehabilitate them. An abandoned sloth cannot easily re-adapt to life in the forest so they have some there as pets. One in particular is "Buttercup" - the first sloth rescued by the refuge. They have been featured on National Geographic and are doing excellent work educating the public about these animals and others. I found this description on line:

Aviarios del Caribe Sloth Refuge is south of Limon and north of Cahuita. Be sure to visit: Pink Cheeks the boa constrictor, a couple of tame toucans, Coco the crocodile, dozens of poison-arrow frogs, and numerous sloths, including the gentle "Buttercup", the first sloth rescued by the refuge in 1992. The refuge relies on donations to exist and it is definitely worth a visit. They also have rooms for rent if you contact them at tel./fax 506/382-1335 or email: aviarios@costarica.net.

Very best on your travels