Florida Officials Document 31 Horrific Sloth Deaths After Viruses Spread Through Packed Unheated Sloth World in Orlando

Florida's fish and wildlife agency has documented the deaths of 31 sloths held in a dark, unheated Orlando warehouse owned by Sloth World, a planned International Drive tourist attraction that still has no federal licence to display animals to the public.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) detailed the deaths in an August 2025 captive wildlife inspection report, obtained by Inside Climate News through a public records request and published on 21 April 2026.

The 31 animals arrived in two separate shipments, from Guyana in December 2024 and Peru in February 2025, and died in a warehouse that a former co-owner of the business told FWC was simply not ready to receive them.

No Electricity, No Water and a Tripped Fuse in the December 2024 Warehouse

The first shipment, 21 sloths sourced from Guyana, arrived at Miami International Airport on 18 December 2024 and was transferred to a warehouse at 7547 International Drive, operated by Sloth World's related import entity, Sanctuary World Imports. A former co-owner of Sloth World told FWC investigators that the building had no running water and no electricity at the time of the animals' arrival. Space heaters were purchased and run via extension cords from a neighbouring building in an attempt to warm the space.

At some point, the fuse supplying those heaters tripped. The sloths were left in an unheated building for at least one night. According to the FWC report, the coldest recorded temperature on 22 December was 46 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 7.7 degrees Celsius), with a daily average of 56 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sloths, which are tropical mammals with a limited ability to regulate their own body temperature, cannot withstand sustained cold. All 21 animals from the Guyana shipment died. The FWC attributed their deaths to 'cold stun.'

The second shipment, ten sloths imported from Peru, arrived in February 2025. Two were dead on arrival. The remaining eight were, in the FWC's words, 'emaciated and in very poor health.' None survived. The FWC attributed the February deaths to 'poor health' rather than cold. By that point, 31 animals in total had died in a facility that the former co-owner had reportedly acknowledged, before the first shipment arrived, was not ready.

Dr Rebecca Cliffe, founder of the Sloth Conservation Foundation, told Inside Climate News that sloths are exceptionally vulnerable to the stresses of international transport. 'They don't have a fight or flight response,' she said. 'If they're threatened, they can't run away, they can't defend themselves. So what they do is just internalise the stress ... they sort of close their eyes, hold on and just hope that everything passes by.' Dr Cliffe added that 'there is no justification in 2026 for acquiring wild sloths for exhibition.'

Sloth World's Virus Claim, Absent USDA Licence, and Orange County's Stop Work Order

Sloth World Orlando has publicly rejected the FWC's account of events. The company alleged that the 31 animals died as a result of a virus, not cold exposure or inadequate facilities. Inside Climate News reported separately, following publication of the FWC report, that a virus had subsequently spread through the warehouse since the August 2025 inspection, leading to further deaths beyond the original 31. Those additional deaths have not been independently verified by FWC as of the date of this article.

A more immediate regulatory problem emerged alongside the FWC findings. A USDA spokesperson confirmed to Fox 35 that any entity wishing to publicly display animals in the United States is required to hold an Animal Welfare Act licence issued by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Sloth World Orlando does not hold one. Neither does Sanctuary World Imports, the company's related import operation. 'The Animal Welfare Act requires people who use regulated animals for certain purposes to be licensed with APHIS and meet established standards of humane care and public safety,' the spokesperson said in a statement. 'We are aware of the facility mentioned and are responding.'

On 23 April 2026, an Orange County Building Safety inspector attended the International Drive warehouse and issued a 'stop work' order, determining that the building appeared to be storing animals without the required use permit. The inspector was unable to enter the building, as no Sloth World representative was present. It therefore remained unclear at the time of the visit whether sloths were still inside the building. Fox 35 reporter Hannah Mackenzie was present at the site throughout 23 April and observed the inspection taking place.

State Rep. Eskamani, an Expired Permit, and Florida's Reporting Gap

Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani has been one of the most vocal public figures pressing for accountability. In posts on Instagram, Eskamani stated that she had spoken directly to FWC's legislative liaison and was pursuing the matter further. She confirmed that Sloth World holds an expired FWC permit and said she believed that permit should not be renewed, given the volume of deaths on record.

Eskamani also identified what she called a significant structural gap in Florida's regulatory framework. Under current Florida statutes, Sloth World had no legal obligation to report the deaths of the 31 sloths to any government agency.

The FWC only became aware of the fatalities after investigators asked about previous deaths during an unannounced August 2025 inspection, having been prompted by public complaints. 'Without everyday people who care and reported these deaths, it is hard to know when FWC would have even learned about the situation,' Eskamani stated publicly.

Thirty-one sloths, imported wild from South America, died in an unlicensed Florida warehouse before a single paying customer ever walked through the doors, and the only consequence on record is a verbal warning about cage sizes.