Overview
- An FWC inspection report made public this month describes 31 sloths that died between December 2024 and February 2025 while being held in a warehouse used to supply the planned Sloth World attraction on International Drive.
- Inspectors documented statements that the first shipment from Guyana arrived when the warehouse lacked water and electricity, that space heaters on extension cords failed in cold weather, and that later arrivals from Peru were in poor condition.
- FWC attributed 21 deaths to cold exposure and 10 to poor health, and during an Aug. 7, 2025 unannounced visit it also issued a verbal warning for two undersized cages at the site.
- Sloth World’s owners dispute the findings and blame a foreign virus, saying they worked with veterinarians and state officials and that wildlife regulators found no wrongdoing.
- State Rep. Anna Eskamani said she is pressing FWC for answers and highlighted that current permits do not require facilities to report animal deaths, a gap that kept the case out of public view as the attraction’s opening remained delayed.