Overview
- Habanero, one of 13 sloths moved from the unopened Sloth World to the Central Florida Zoo, died after intensive care, and two other sloths remain in guarded condition under quarantine.
- Zoo leaders say the sloths arrived underweight and dehydrated and are being treated for severe gastrointestinal and nutrition problems that are hard to reverse in stressed wild-caught animals.
- State inspection records document 31 earlier deaths linked to cold exposure and poor health in sloths imported from Guyana and Peru for the planned Orlando attraction.
- The attorney general says a statewide prosecutor is assisting a criminal review, yet the local state attorney reports no active investigation and is still determining which agency should lead.
- Regulators say the operation had no active federal Animal Welfare Act license and drew only a verbal warning from state inspectors, who reported no intentional misconduct, while lawmakers press for tighter rules on imports and reporting.