{"id":245956,"date":"2026-04-25T08:14:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T08:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/245956\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T08:14:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T08:14:22","slug":"13-sloth-world-sloths-donated-to-central-florida-zoo-ceo-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/245956\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Sloth World sloths donated to Central Florida Zoo, CEO says"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"13 13 sloths tied to Sloth World removed from warehouse<\/a> <\/p>\n

FOX 35’s Hannah MacKenzie and Marie Edinger joins John Brown and LuAnne Sorrell to break down the latest details into the investigation of Sloth World, where more than 30 sloths died in a warehouse ahead of the attraction’s intended opening. 13 of the sloths were removed from the warehouse and are on their way to the Central Florida Zoo.<\/p>\n

SANFORD, Fla. – Editor’s note: The Central Florida Zoo originally said 14 sloths had been transferred from Sloth World. The zoo later clarified that the number was slightly lower \u2013 13 sloths. This story has been updated to include statements from Sloth World owner Ben Agresta.<\/p>\n

The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens said Friday that it has accepted a donation of 13 two-toed sloths that were previously associated with Sloth World Orlando<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Richard E. Glover, CEO of the Central Florida Zoo, confirmed to FOX 35 that the 13 sloths \u2013 Hoffmann\u2019s two-toed sloths and Linnaeus\u2019s two-toed sloths \u2013 were donated from Sloth World Orlando, a planned “slotharium” attraction under construction on International Drive that has faced scrutiny recently.<\/p>\n

FOX 35 cameras on Friday afternoon captured activity at the warehouse on International Drive, which, according to an FWC report, was used as a “receiving” center for the sloths to be evaluated and acclimated, before eventually moving to Sloth World’s main attraction. Our cameras captured several crates, cages, and boxes being loaded into vehicles at the warehouse location.<\/p>\n

FOX 35 exclusive video of creates, cages being loaded into a van outside a warehouse on International Drive, believed to be used by Sloth World Orlando. an FWC report said the facility was used to evaluated and acclimate sloths intended for its Sloth World attraction. <\/p>\n

As FOX 35 reported earlier this week, questions and concerns have been raised after an FWC report said 31 sloths under Sloth World’s care had died<\/a> in December 2024 and February 2025. FOX 35 also reported this week that the warehouse facility was not permitted to house animals<\/a> \u2013 it was permitted by a different business to store vehicles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Friday evening, Ben Agresta, the owner of Sloth World Orlando, issued a lengthy statement about the situation.<\/p>\n

“There is so much false and inaccurate information out there right now. The truth is, we lost sloths that had a virus of which showed barely any symptoms and was undetectable even after necropsy,” he said in a statement.<\/p>\n

“With a staff of 22 Ambassadors involved in multiple facilities with many members each shift, we put every resource and outside help possible. We all truly feel terrible that this has occurred. None of our staff did anything to ever harm an animal and do not have anything but love and compassion for them. All we wanted was for the betterment of sloths by learning as much as we can and teaching the world about them. All of us have conservation at our hearts, coupled with education. Nothing we could have done could prevent an unknown virus.”<\/p>\n

He told FOX 35’s Marie Edinger that he has “no plans to open” Sloth World as all of the sloths were not at the Central Florida Zoo, he said, and would likely file for bankruptcy protection<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zoo: Donated sloths will be quarantined for 30 days <\/p>\n

What’s next:<\/p>\n

The zoo said the sloths would be placed in quarantine for at least 30 days, where they will be evaluated by the zoo’s staff.<\/p>\n

“The sloths are currently in quarantine, where they are being assessed by the Zoo\u2019s veterinary team. They will remain in quarantine for at least 30 days, with their nutrition and overall health closely monitored by professional animal care staff and medical teams,” the zoo said in a news release.<\/p>\n

“The sloths \u2013 both Hoffmann\u2019s two-toed sloths and Linnaeus\u2019s two-toed sloths \u2013 will become part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums\u2019 (AZA) and Species Survival Plans (SSPs) for their species, cooperative programs designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of genetically diverse animal populations in accredited zoos.”<\/p>\n

Zoo will work to find long-term homes for the sloths at AZA-accredited facilities <\/p>\n

The zoo said it would assume ownership of the sloths \u2013 temporarily \u2013 while it works with the Species Survival Plan Program to find a long-term placement for them with an AZA-accredited (Association of Zoos & Aquariums) facility. Some of the sloths could remain at the zoo, the release said.<\/p>\n

“When we were approached about taking in these sloths, the team all agreed it was something we should and wanted to do”<\/p>\n

\u2014 Richard E. Glover, CEO of Central Florida Zoo <\/p>\n

What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

“When we were approached about taking in these sloths, the team all agreed it was something we should and wanted to do. Our Zoo team has decades of experience caring for sloths, and we can ensure they will receive the best care and nutrition to give them the best opportunity for a positive outcome,” said Richard E. Glover in a prepared statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This is also a meaningful opportunity for us to contribute to the long-term conservation of these unique species. By bringing these animals into an accredited setting and participating in the Species Survival Plan, we\u2019re giving them the best possible chance to thrive and helping ensure a healthy, sustainable population of sloths for future generations.”<\/p>\n

Congress Maxwell Frost wants USDA to investigate Sloth World <\/p>\n

Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost said in a post on X that he has asked the Secretary of Agriculture and the USDA to investigate Sloth World.<\/p>\n

The Source: FOX 35’s Hannah Mackenzie has been looking into Sloth World Orlando for several weeks. On Monday, she aired her first report about 31 sloth deaths that happened at a warehouse on International Drive, which, according to an FWC inspection report, was used as a “receiving” center for Sloth World’s sloths. Follow-up reports have since aired. FOX 35 filed public records requests with the FWC, USDA, Orange County, and the City of Orlando for information on inspections and permits. On Friday, FOX 35 reporters and photographers were at the warehouse site, where teams were seen loading the sloth into vans. The Central Florida Zoo later issued a news release on the 13 sloths in its possession. Ben Agresta, the owner of Sloth World, issued a statement and talked to FOX 35’s Marie Edinger, late Friday.<\/p>\n

FOX 35 Investigates<\/a>Orange County News<\/a>Seminole County News<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"13 sloths tied to Sloth World removed from warehouse FOX 35’s Hannah MacKenzie and Marie Edinger joins John…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":245957,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[47,106146,115,1335,139,141,140,1014,628],"class_list":["post-245956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-fl","tag-fox-35-investigates","tag-news","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-seminole-county","tag-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}