31 Sloths Die Before Florida Sloth World Opens
Introduction
A new animal place called Sloth World in Orlando, Florida, wanted to open. But before it opened, 31 sloths died. This happened between December 2024 and February 2025. Now, some government groups are looking into the problem.
Main Body
In December 2024, 21 sloths came from Guyana. They were in a warehouse. The warehouse had no water and no electricity. People bought heaters to keep the sloths warm. But the heaters stopped working. The sloths got very cold. The temperature outside was 46°F (7°C). The sloths died from the cold. In February 2025, ten sloths came from Peru. Two were dead when they arrived. The other eight looked very thin and sick. They all died later because they were not healthy. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wrote a report about these deaths. The owner of Sloth World, Ben Agresta, first said the sloths died from a virus. Later, he said the place will not open. He will ask for bankruptcy. The FWC closed its investigation. But other groups are still looking into the problem. The Orange County Building Safety office stopped work at the warehouse. Some people are angry about the sloth deaths. State Representative Anna Eskamani said there is a problem with wildlife permits. The Sloth Conservation Foundation and the Sloth Institute were worried about Sloth World before. The 13 sloths that did not die went to the Central Florida Zoo. They need help from people for their whole lives.
Conclusion
The deaths of the sloths show that it is hard to keep wild animals in places made by people. The owner of Sloth World is closing the business. The surviving sloths are now with a zoo that can take care of them.