ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014\u00a0Questions are intensifying after multiple sloth deaths connected to Sloth World Orlando, with new scrutiny on Florida\u2019s oversight of exotic animal encounters.<\/p>\n
The most recent video shows sloths that once lived at the facility, 13 of them transferred in April to the\u00a0Central Florida Zoo<\/a>, where CEO Richard Glover says his team stepped in after a direct request for help.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it was going to take some creative staffing to make it work. We called them back and said, yes, absolutely,\u201d Glover said.<\/p>\n Ten staff members have been caring for the animals, but two have since died, leaving 11 still under watch.<\/p>\n Glover says there have been signs of progress, but the species remains fragile.<\/p>\n \u201cWith all the tests we\u2019re doing and all the fluids we\u2019re giving them, everything else we\u2019re seeing improvement. But also, sometimes they can just crash very quickly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The broader picture is even more troubling.<\/p>\n According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 31 sloths died between December 2024 and February 2025.<\/p>\n Necropsy reports point to stress, malnutrition, gastrointestinal issues and infections as causes.<\/p>\n Sloths are classified as Class III wildlife in Florida, meaning owners must report escapes, bites and transfers, but not illnesses or deaths.<\/p>\n A review by the agency found Sloth World did not violate any current permit regulations.<\/p>\n State Representative Lindsay Cross says that gap in reporting is a key issue.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder these class three permits does not require organizations to report animal deaths,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Cross adds any change would require proposals, public input, a commission vote, legislative approval and the governor\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think we just need to have, a fundamental review of the type of oversight that FWC is doing for the housing of both domestic and exotic wildlife,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The deaths are also fueling debate over popular sloth encounter experiences offered across the state, where visitors can get close to the animals.<\/p>\n Animal rights advocates want those interactions to end.<\/p>\n \u201cPETA is urging the public to end this cycle by staying away from any facility that uses wild animals for hands-on encounters,\u201d said Cydnee Bence with\u00a0PETA<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the same time, conservationists acknowledge the public\u2019s fascination with sloths but warn of the consequences.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople love sloths and they want to see them and they want to they want to touch them. They want to hold them and be around them. But those people love sloths, and they don\u2019t want them to be ripped out of the out of the trees and to be dying under these horrible conditions,\u201d said Rebecca Cliffe, founder of the\u00a0Sloth Conservation Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, with dozens of deaths and growing public pressure, conservationists and lawmakers are urging the state to take a closer look at how these animals are regulated and whether changes are needed to prevent another tragedy.<\/p>\n The founder of the Sloth Conservation Foundation is coming to Orlando on Tuesday to meet with lawmakers about current regulations.<\/p>\n