Florida Halts Sloth Imports for Two Months After Dozens Die at Orlando Facility

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ordered a two-month ban on the importation of sloths that took effect Wednesday. The agency acted after an Inside Climate News investigation found that 31 sloths died at Sloth World, a business in Orlando that imported the animals from Peru and Guyana in late 2024 and early 2025.

Necropsy records showed the deaths continued to mount and were primarily linked to stress and illness. The company had planned to display the sloths at an attraction where customers could view them for $49. Sloth World has since shut down and is under criminal investigation by Florida authorities.

m. on July 10. Residents of Florida will still be able to acquire sloths that are legally held in captivity elsewhere in the United States and its territories. 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.

At a meeting on Wednesday, FWC Executive Director Roger A. Young described the deaths as a “very sad situation” and said the agency is halting sloth imports into Florida while it reviews its regulations. ” Young characterized the deaths at Sloth World as isolated to that business.

In mid-April the company transferred 13 surviving sloths to the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens. According to the zoo, three have since died and the 10 remaining animals are being cared for in a quarantine area. The smallest one, Mr. Ginger, is in critical condition.

Necropsy reports obtained by Inside Climate News indicate the deaths stemmed from stress-related illness linked to capture, international transport, cold exposure, captivity, irregular diet and physical trauma. Some necropsied sloths showed signs of viruses, but experts said those viruses took hold because of systemic stress the animals endured from the moment they were taken from the wild.

Sloths are native to the forests of Central and South America. Of the seven species, one is considered critically endangered while populations of several others are in decline. The animals are poorly suited to captivity because they lack a fight-or-flight response, may become motionless under stress, and cannot easily regulate body temperature.

Reactions and Next Steps Florida state Rep.

Anna Eskamani, who had called for a criminal investigation into Sloth World, said the decision will send a ripple effect across the country. Sam Trull, executive director of The Sloth Institute, stated that the ban represents a significant step for sloth conservation worldwide because most U.S. imports pass through Florida.

U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost has called for stronger state and federal protections and said he is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to close a loophole that allowed Sloth World to house wild animals without a permit prior to display.