{"id":254127,"date":"2026-05-01T16:07:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T16:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254127\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T16:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T16:07:08","slug":"criminal-investigation-underway-into-sloth-world-sloth-deaths-florida-ag-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254127\/","title":{"rendered":"Criminal investigation underway into Sloth World sloth deaths, Florida AG says"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Sloth World<\/a>, the long-delayed International Drive attraction tied to dozens of animal deaths, has filed for bankruptcy, bringing an abrupt end to the controversial project. <\/p>\n

Officials confirmed the remaining sloths have been relinquished and transferred to the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, where they are now receiving veterinary care and ongoing rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

The bankruptcy filing follows months of scrutiny after state records confirmed at least 31 sloths died<\/a> before the attraction ever opened to the public. <\/p>\n

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission<\/a> documents, the animals were imported from South America in two shipments and housed in an off-site warehouse while Sloth World prepared for launch. Inspectors later determined the facility lacked permanent electricity and running water when the first group arrived, relying on temporary heat that failed overnight. <\/p>\n

Twenty-one sloths in that shipment died from cold exposure. A second shipment arrived weeks later with multiple animals already dead or critically ill.<\/p>\n

In late April, authorities removed the last surviving animals from the facility. Thirteen sloths were transported to the Central Florida Zoo for emergency care. Zoo officials said several arrived dehydrated, underweight, and critically ill, requiring round-the-clock veterinary supervision in a quarantine environment. <\/p>\n

\"FILE<\/p>\n

FILE – 13 sloths rescued from Orlando\u2019s \u201cSloth World,\u201d where 31 animals died, have now survived a second night in rehabilitation, with one still in serious condition. (Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens)<\/p>\n

One of those rescued sloths, a young two-toed sloth named Bandit, has since died. The Central Florida Zoo confirmed Bandit\u2019s condition was critical upon arrival, citing severe lethargy, dehydration, and nutritional and electrolyte imbalances. Despite intensive treatment, zoo officials said his condition was too severe to overcome. The zoo stated it continues to provide close monitoring and care for the remaining sloths.<\/p>\n

As the scope of the deaths became public, authorities removed the surviving animals from the facility. Thirteen sloths were transported to the Central Florida Zoo in late April. Zoo officials said many arrived dehydrated and underweight, with one in critical condition, and have since been placed in a strict quarantine environment with round-the-clock monitoring.<\/p>\n

The case has now entered a more formal criminal review phase. In a May 1 letter to State Rep. Anna Eskamani, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier outlined the role of the Office of Statewide Prosecution in the matter. Uthmeier wrote that the office\u2019s authority in animal welfare cases is triggered by evidence of a pattern of racketeering activity under Florida law. <\/p>\n

Absent that threshold, prosecution authority \u2014 including potential charges under Florida\u2019s animal cruelty statute \u2014 remains with Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell.<\/p>\n

Uthmeier confirmed that Senior Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Lauryn Day has been cross-sworn and is assisting the Ninth Circuit on behalf of the Office of Statewide Prosecution. Day is described in the letter as an animal welfare law expert whose role is to provide insight and support as the investigation continues.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur office is unwavering in its commitment to pursuing justice on behalf of those who are unable to protect themselves,\u201d Uthmeier wrote, adding that accountability will be pursued wherever the evidence leads.<\/p>\n

See Related: 13 sloths rescued from Orlando’s ‘Sloth World’ after 31 die; 1 in critical condition<\/a><\/p>\n

Officials have not released details about potential charges, citing the active status of the investigation. Conservation groups and animal welfare advocates say the bankruptcy and transfer of the animals mark the end of Sloth World, but not the end of questions about oversight, permitting, and accountability in Florida\u2019s growing exotic animal attraction industry.<\/p>\n

For now, Central Florida Zoo officials say their focus remains on stabilizing the rescued sloths and determining appropriate long-term placement, while state authorities continue to examine how and why so many animals died before the attraction ever opened its doors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Sloth World, the long-delayed International Drive attraction tied to dozens of animal deaths, has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":254128,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-254127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254127","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=254127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}