A SOUTH AMERICAN woman has rescued hundreds of sloths since setting up a sloth sanctuary in her own home nine years ago.

Monique Pool, a wildlife conservationist from Suriname, says she’s been ‘obsessed’ with the funny creatures ever since she first laid eyes on one back in 2005, when her pet dog went missing.

She called a pound to see if they’d found it – they hadn’t, but they told her they had a baby sloth they didn’t know how to look after.

Monique Pool and a sloth pal

She told the BBC that she instantly loved the creature:

[Sloths are] very special animals to look at. They always have a smile on their faces and seem so tranquil and peaceful.

From that point on, Pool became the authority on sloths in Suriname, with the Animal Protection Society calling her every time they hear of a sloth in danger.

According to Conservation International, an average of one or two sloths a week pass through her sloth sanctuary (which is also her home) before being released back into the wild after a few days – unless they need more time to recover.

A little one, hangin' out.

At one stage in October 2012 she had around 200 sloths at her house, living in enclosures in the back garden and hanging from the walls inside.

She says it’s a “very stressful” job, but now has a team of volunteers who help her out with all the sloths.

Feeding baby sloths, hanging out with sloths, just generally being around sloths. Is this woman living the dream, or what?

An adorable sheep-goat hybrid has been born in Kildare>

Hopeful dog tries to jump on couch, fails spectacularly>