{"id":254379,"date":"2026-05-01T19:24:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254379\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T19:24:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:24:07","slug":"florida-prosecutors-launch-criminal-investigation-into-deaths-of-31-sloths-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254379\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida prosecutors launch criminal investigation into deaths of 31 sloths | Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prosecutors in Florida said Friday they have launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of dozens of sloths<\/a> from South America that were set to be displayed at a controversial new theme park.<\/p>\n

A Florida<\/a> fish and wildlife commission (FWC) report revealed last week that 31 mammals taken from rainforests in Peru and Guyana by the owners of Sloth World, a forthcoming tourist attraction in Orlando, perished in an unheated warehouse between December 2024 and February 2025.<\/p>\n

The Central Florida Zoo posted on Facebook<\/a> on Wednesday that one of 13 other sloths since rescued from the warehouse in poor health, and named by its owners Bandit, had been euthanized. Meanwhile, the theme park\u2019s proprietor has reportedly filed for bankruptcy and abandoned plans to open for business.<\/p>\n

On Friday, James Uthmeier, Florida\u2019s attorney general, said in a post on X<\/a> that prosecutors from his office were assisting counterparts from the state\u2019s ninth circuit in an \u201congoing criminal investigation\u201d into the animals\u2019 deaths and the circumstances of their seizure from their natural habitat.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur office in unwavering in its commitment to pursuing justice on behalf of those who are unable to protect themselves,\u201d Uthmeier wrote in a letter to Democratic state representative Anna Eskamani, who a day earlier had demanded an investigation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will ensure accountability wherever the evidence requires.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uthmeier said state prosecutors would usually only otherwise become involved in an animal welfare investigation if there was \u201cevidence of a pattern of racketeering activity\u201d. Prosecutorial authority, he said, remained with Monique Worrell, state attorney for the ninth circuit.<\/p>\n

Worrell did not immediately return a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Eskamani, who is running to become mayor of Orlando, questioned in a letter to Uthmeier on Wednesday why the state had granted permits for the animals to be imported, and how the self-styled \u201cslotharium\u201d was given approval to open.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe loss of dozens of animals under preventable conditions demands accountability,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThese reports raise not only questions of individual responsibility, but also broader concerns about regulatory oversight and enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an email to the Guardian on Thursday, a spokesperson for the FWC said permit holders were required to maintain detailed records of animals in their care, but had no responsibility to report fatalities.<\/p>\n

The deaths only came to light after an unannounced visit by FWC officials in August 2025 to the warehouse, during which Sloth World\u2019s then-owner Peter Bandre told inspectors that 21 two-toed sloths from Guyana were victims of a \u201ccold stun\u201d after temporary heaters failed.<\/p>\n

Ten more sloths came in a shipment from Peru, Bandre said, with two dead on arrival and eight others succumbing to \u201cpoor health issues\u201d after appearing emaciated.<\/p>\n

Bandre subsequently parted company with Sloth World, and his former business partner, Ben Agresta, the sole owner and president, did not respond to a request for comment sent through the park\u2019s website, which was still online on Friday.<\/p>\n

The FWC spokesperson said that Sloth World reported the import of 61 mammals between December 2024 and March 2026, which the theme park said it intended to put on display in a 7,500 sq ft building on International Drive, the heart of Orlando\u2019s tourism district.<\/p>\n

The commission said a veterinarian it consulted to look into the sloths\u2019 deaths found several cases of systemic viral infections, evidence of neurological, respiratory, and gastrointestinal disease, and evidence of immune suppression.<\/p>\n

The necropsies did not definitively establish the primary cause of death or origin of infection, the spokesperson said. They added that all Sloth World facilities had closed, no sloths remain in any of the previously permitted facilities, and that FWC investigators were working with the owner to relinquish all permits.<\/p>\n

On Monday, the Central Florida Zoo said it had taken in 13 sloths voluntarily surrendered by Sloth World. \u201cUpon arrival, all of the animals were examined by our expert veterinary staff,\u201d a statement said.<\/p>\n

Bandit, one of the 13, was in especially poor health and showing signs of severe lethargy, dehydration, nutritional imbalances and gastrointestinal complications. Richard Glover, the zoo\u2019s chief executive, said staff were \u201cheartbroken\u201d at the sloth\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur team did everything possible to give him the best chance at survival and ensure he was comfortable in his final days,\u201d he said in a separate statement<\/a> posted Thursday on the zoo\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

He said the 12 other sloths were in stable condition, he said.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Morris, general counsel for captive animal law enforcement for People for the Ethical treatment of Animals (Peta), urged Uthmeier to hold Sloth World to the fullest extent of the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese sloths were snatched from their rainforest homes and endured a terrifying journey thousands of miles away before being left to die in a barren warehouse,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWild animals are not props for roadside attractions, and Peta is calling on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to hold Bandre and Agresta accountable for their actions and ensure that they never own animals again.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prosecutors in Florida said Friday they have launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of dozens of sloths…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":254380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-254379","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\/254379","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=254379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}