ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani, Orange County Commissioners, and international sloth experts demanded accountability and more legal oversight into the importing and reporting of sloths and other exotic animals into Florida for public exhibition and personal ownership, and a review of potential legal and criminal consequences after the deaths of more than 50 sloths intended to be part of Sloth World Orlando.
Among them:
A total ban on the imports of wild-caught sloths to Florida and/or United States intended for personal or commercial useA review of FWC’s legal threshold for animal abuse and animal crueltyCriminal charges to be recommended against the owners of Sloth World (to date, no violations or charges have been filed)A review of the FWC Class III wildlife designation, which does not require reports of advanced imports or deaths of sloths and other animalsImproved communication between local, county, and state agencies that deal with exotic animalsA review of Orange County permit procedures and enforcement, and staffing needed to conduct inspections Full press conference: Leaders demand accountability after Sloth World sloth deaths
What they’re saying:
“The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has stated that they found no evidence of violations. But under Florida law, it’s a criminal offense to subject animals to unnecessary suffering. Placing highly sensitive animals into a warehouse with no electricity, no heat, and no running water resulted in suffering that was predictable, visible, and entirely preventable. I struggle to understand how that does not constitute a violation. And if this does not meet the threshold for suffering under the law, then we have to act whether the threshold is set far too low and whether the laws are sufficient.” – Dr. Rebecca Cliffe, The Sloth Conservation Foundation
What happened at Sloth World is unique in the number of sloths that died, especially in such a short amount of time, but the business model is not unique” – Sam Trull, The Sloth Institute, Costa Rica
“FWC in August of 2025 investigated and then failed to notify building inspectors. In August of 2025, if FWCs didn’t believe that wildlife was their concern in that warehouse, all they had to do was make a call to building safety, code enforcement, Commissioner Wilson’s office, Commissioner Scott’s office. And we would have sent our own people there. Right now under our current permitting regulations, they were unable to gain entry, but still saw evidence that there were animals being kept in the warehouse. I’m working today, tomorrow and coming days to make sure that we close that gap and provide them the authorization necessary in order to be able to gain entry if there’s evidence of this type of animal cruelty inside.” – Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson.
“We have a great opportunity right here in Florida to slow down that importation and to ban it completely. This is not an accredited facility, AZA. You’re not operating with conservation in mind. I mean, there’s no reason to steal animal from the wild. And bring them in, period. You know, if the animal was injured, that’s different, right? But a wild animal that’s happily chewing on leaves in the rainforest does not have to come to Florida. So that’s key. On the criminal part, I think we have to see what happens with the attorney general, but my first reaction is reporting of deaths that if an animal dies under a class three permit, that should be reported and made public. And a permit should not be renewed, when that, especially when that death is still being investigated. And so those are two very easy things that Florida can do.” – Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani
Rep. Eskamani said she found out about the situation from media reporting, including FOX 35’s investigative series.
“That’s how I first became aware that this was happening. And so that’s huge praise to our media partners, but also what a disgrace to government, to state regulators for not thinking that the public would be outraged, not thinking this was a problem, and for allowing this permit to be renewed after sloth deaths, it’s just truly unacceptable. And if we were here outside a pet store for dogs or for cats, there would have been arrests made already.”
Third sloth rescued from Sloth World dies
This comes after the death of another sloth that was rescued from a warehouse for Sloth World and taken to the Central Florida Zoo for care.
On Tuesday, the zoo announced the death of Dumpling, marking the third sloth death in nearly two weeks.
“Dumpling’s death reflects that this is a day by day situation here for the remaining sloths in our care,” the zoo said in a statement. “Thank you for your continued support.”
Dumpling’s death follows two other sloth deaths since the animals were transferred to the zoo on April 24. Bandit was the first of the rescued sloths to die. Habanero, another sloth, was euthanized Saturday.
The zoo said many of the sloths arrived in poor condition and with health problems.
“When the sloths arrived, all were underweight and are being treated for gastrointestinal (GI) issues, requiring intensive, specialized care,” the zoo said in a statement.
A total of 13 sloths from Sloth World were donated to the Central Florida Zoo. The sloths were placed under a 30-day quarantine for assessment and monitoring.
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Dig deeper:
Sloth World deaths
Sloth World was an attraction planned for I-Drive that promised an up-close experience with sloths.
The deaths of 31 sloths in Sloth World’s care were uncovered by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission last year, according to reports released by the agency.
The animals were imported from South America and kept in a warehouse on I-Drive that had no electricity, no running water and faulty heaters, according to the FWC report.
Amid mounting pressure, Sloth World owner Ben Agresta said the attraction would not open to the public and that he would file for bankruptcy protection.
Florida leaders and animal rights groups began raising questions about Sloth World, calling for an investigation and accountability.
In response to a call from Eskamani for a criminal investigation, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said one of its prosecutors was assisting State Attorney Monique Worrell’s Office in an “ongoing criminal investigation.”
Worrell’s Office, however, said it does not conduct investigations and that it didn’t have any information on an active investigation.
The Source: This article was written with information from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, news releases, The Central Florida Zoo and previous FOX 35 reporting.
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