This adorable sloth had to be rescued by Ecuadorian transport police after it got stuck half way when crossing a motorway.

Police in Quevedo, central Ecuador, found the animal holding on to the crash barrier for dear life, moving neither forwards or backwards.

Transit police posted about their unusual call-out on Facebook, which has seen the sloth become an online celebrity around the world in just a few days.

Adorable: The sloth was found clinging on for dear life between two lanes of a newly opened motorway in Quevedo, Ecuador this week

Sloths move only when they absolutely need to, and rarely leave the branches of their favourite trees.

However, they do climb down to ground level once a week to empty its bowels, often choosing the same spot each week.

As the motorway opened recently, it is likely that it lies in what once was a natural path of travel for the sloth.

As sloths only have a maximum ground speed of just over 6ft, it is believed the animal started making its way across the road, and then getting stuck as traffic sped up in the morning.

Too cute: Police found the animal holding on to the crash barrier after getting stuck in the middle of the road

Poor thing: As sloths have a top ground speed of just over 6ft per minute, it is believed it started crossing the road and then got stuck when traffic started speeding up

After Quevedo police posted on Facebook about the sloth, the animal has made hundreds of thousands of fans around the globe.

Fortunately for all its fans, it appears the sloth did not suffer from its little adventure.

The Comisión de Tránsito del Ecuador(Ecuador Transit Commission) later added that the sloth had been returned to the rainforest.

‘It has been checked by a vet, who determined that it was in optimal conditions for return to its habitat,’ it wrote on Facebook/

Take me home! Police removed the sloth and  – after being checked by a vet – it could return home