Everyone loves the slow-moving, tree-living animals found only in tropical rainforests. But earlier this week, we learned of this horrific story of the animals dying en masse while waiting for their exhibit to open. The animals had been stored in a small warehouse that had previously been used for storing vehicles. There was no heating, no running water, and no ventilation. The company had said a virus took the animals, but that was a lie. The information from FWC is from a report last year, but was only released this week in response to an FOI request. And when the story came out, there was universal condemnation. On Wednesday, their website shut down. And late this afternoon, the company behind it declared bankruptcy and said it will never open.
Source: NBC
Dozens of sloths destined for a Florida "slotharium" died in a warehouse or while in transit to the Orlando attraction, state wildlife officials said.
The 31 deaths occurred between December 2024 and February 2025, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said in a report recently released. The majority of the sloths died in an unheated warehouse while awaiting transfer to the still unopened Sloth World exhibit, the report said.
An unannounced routine inspection at the Orlando warehouse in August by the FWC uncovered the deaths, according to the report.
Sloth World told the FWC it placed an order for 21 sloths from Guyana, 15 two‑toed sloths and six three‑toed sloths, that arrived in December 2024.
Those 21 sloths all died due to what Sloth World described as a “cold stun,” the report said. The building was not suitable for the animals, noting that before the sloths arrived, the facility had no water or electricity. Sloth World told the FWC that the warehouse "was not ready to receive the sloths, but it was too late to cancel the shipment.”
And how did they die?
Multiple space heaters were purchased, but the report says they had to be powered from a different building using extension cords. This tripped a fuse, meaning there was no heat in the building the night the sloths died. The minimum recorded temperature that night was approximately 46 degrees.
No words.
Sloths can only live in a narrow climate, ideally between 80-90F and with high humidity. The company was still disputing the findings of the report this week, saying the animals died due to a "virus."
With the bad publicity, the company has now declared bankruptcy and no longer plans to ever open. (I'll assume they believe this means they'll never be prosecuted, and they may be right, as it is Florida.) Rep. Maxwell Frost has shared his disgust this week.
