Overview
- Orange County issued a stop-work order Thursday at the International Drive warehouse, saying the site stored animals without a required use permit and lacked basics like fire extinguishers and exit signs.
- USDA/APHIS said no Animal Welfare Act license is on file for Sloth World, a license required to publicly display regulated animals in the United States.
- A Florida wildlife report released this month documented 31 sloth deaths between December 2024 and February 2025, with most tied to cold exposure after heating failed in a warehouse that had lost power and dropped into the mid-40s.
- The second shipment in February 2025 included two animals dead on arrival and eight more that appeared emaciated and later died, yet state investigators issued no fines and only a verbal warning for cage-size and record-keeping problems; the company blames a foreign virus.
- Sloth World’s president told Fox 35 they would abandon plans and file for bankruptcy, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is now overseeing remaining animals, and the Central Florida Zoo said it has taken in 13 two-toed sloths for quarantine and placement.