Bellingham’s landmark I-5 sloth can stay for now, WSDOT says
Bellingham’s beloved stuffed fake sloth, situated high in the trees on northbound Interstate 5 south of Bellingham, will remain there for the time being.
“Crews will continue to monitor but at this time, WSDOT does not plan to take further action,” said Washington State Department of Transportation Communication Manager RB McKeon in a May 6 news release.
WSDOT recently began removing stuffed sloths from trees on northbound Interstate 5 about a mile and a half south of Fairhaven.
The first sloth, which became known as a popular landmark among Whatcom County locals, was removed on March 18 after originally being put up by an unknown person. A short while later, a second sloth was put up, only to be taken down again by WSDOT.
At the time, WSDOT said the sloth was distracting for drivers.
Since then, a third sloth has been seen in the trees, much higher up than the other two.
McKeon said the sloth is likely to remain, stating that the resources needed to remove it would require the closure of I-5 to stage equipment for crews to safely reach the stuffed animal, which would put additional strain on already limited WSDOT resources.
“We regret that individuals have continued to compromise their safety and the safety of the public to put these up in trees,” McKeon said in the release.
It is still largely unknown who has been putting the sloths in the trees, or how they are getting them up there.
The third sloth was first reported on the Bellingham Reddit page on April 27, with many comments in support of keeping the sloth in the trees.
“In a world that gives me so many reasons to be down, seeing this makes my day just a little bit brighter and gives me the hope that I need,” one comment said. “Kinda silly, but these days I’ll take what I can get.”
“Even (though) I don’t condone the sloth, this is so so so impressive,” read another comment on a different post about the sloth. “At this point, WSDOT should permit the sloth.”
Some people around Bellingham have taken to leaving additional stuffed sloths around town, recent internet posts appear to show. One sloth made it onto the “Signs Plus” sign on Marine Drive.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 2:54 PM.
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