Overview
- Bandit, a juvenile among 13 sloths moved to the Central Florida Zoo, died Wednesday, April 29, after arriving in critical condition.
- The zoo says 12 sloths remain in quarantine and treatment, and one adult, Habanero, is now in critical condition.
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office is aiding the Ninth Judicial Circuit in a criminal investigation into Sloth World.
- FWC records documented 31 deaths from cold exposure in an unheated warehouse, while necropsies and later reports suggest more than 50 sloths died from factors including dehydration, malnutrition, vitamin deficits, transport stress, and fights, a claim the owner disputes by blaming a virus.
- Sloth World never opened, surrendered the survivors, was hit with a county stop-work order for lacking permits, had no USDA Animal Welfare Act display license on file, and the owner says he plans to file for bankruptcy.