ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson plans to ask county leaders to discuss stronger protections and enforcement for exotic animals displayed for entertainment.<\/p>\n
She wrote a memo dated May 26. However, members of her district office said it wasn\u2019t scheduled for discussion until Tuesday, Aug. 4. This comes following the deaths of dozens of sloths connected to the former Sloth World exhibit on International Drive.<\/p>\n
Wilson is also asking residents, supporters, and animal welfare advocates to speak at the Board of County Commissioners meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. at the Orange County Administration Building, at 201 S. Rosalind Ave.<\/p>\n
Wilson said she would like to see a countywide prohibition on importing exotic animals for entertainment purposes in Orange County, adding that the county could work toward that through licensing and zoning.<\/p>\n
She said that while some entertainment venues in the area have proper veterinary teams, that was not the case with Sloth World.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand that we have the power, the ability here in Orlando to attract visitors from all over the world, for good or for bad,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cAnd what we need to make sure that we\u2019re doing is that when businesses want to come here and open up, that we are giving them specific guidance on things that are not permitted, not allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilson said she wanted Florida Fish and Wildlife to do more, and said state and federal partners are needed to put a policy in place to ensure sloths are not coming into the country, or that any permit requires care and caution for the animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if they come into this county and the state\u2019s giving a permit, that the state then actually requires that that permit come with care and caution for those animals,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cAnd then if we as a county and as a jurisdiction here say we don\u2019t want those types of businesses here and we don\u2019t want people to think they\u2019re going in somewhere to love an animal that is being behind the scenes, treated terribly, hurt and often killed, then we need to stop that from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than 50 sloths were found dead earlier this year, prompting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to finalize an executive order to temporarily prohibit <\/a>the importation of sloths into Florida in May.<\/p>\n