Florida Temporarily Bans Sloth Imports After Dozens Die at Orlando Business
Key takeaways
- In April, an Inside Climate News investigation revealed that 31 sloths died in a Sloth World warehouse soon after it imported the animals from Peru and Guyana in late 2024 and early 2025.
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Republish. The medical team at Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens treats a sloth received from Sloth World, where dozens of the animals died. Credit: Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens Related Florida Opens Criminal Probe Into Sloth World After Dozens of Animal Deaths After Mass Deaths at ‘Sloth World,’ 13 Surviving Animals Are Transferred to a Florida Zoo At ‘Sloth World’ in Florida, Wild Sloths Have Died by the Dozens Share This Article Republish Most Popular Plugging Away at the Millions of Derelict Oil and Gas Wells in the US As El Niño Approaches, Scientists Predict Fierce Heatwaves, Wildfires and Floods $370 Million Payout Florida has temporarily halted importation of sloths following the deaths of dozens of the wild-born mammals at a now-shuttered Orlando business, a move with national implications.
The two-month ban, which the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) ordered on Wednesday, is a significant roadblock for people attempting to import the tree-dwelling mammals from the wild for exhibition or as pets. The impact will extend far beyond Florida: More than 98 percent of total U.S. sloth imports from 2011 to 2021 entered through the port of Miami, according to government data analyzed by The Sloth Institute, a conservation group.
In April, an Inside Climate News investigation revealed that 31 sloths died in a Sloth World warehouse soon after it imported the animals from Peru and Guyana in late 2024 and early 2025. Necropsy records obtained by Inside Climate News showed that the deaths continued to mount, primarily due to stress and illness. The company had planned to display sloths at an attraction where customers could view them up close for $49, according to its now-defunct website.