More than two dozen sloths that were set to become part of a new exhibit in Florida died before the attraction could open, prompting a state agency to investigate.
Over the past four months, a total of 31 sloths died while under the care of Sloth World Orlando, which had planned to open the world's first 'slotharium' this year.
The sloths were sent to Orlando in two different shipments, with one arriving from Guyana on December 18, 2024, and another coming from Peru in February 2025, FOX 35 reported.
The animals were kept at a warehouse about two minutes away from where the sloth attraction was located, according to reports from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) obtained by FOX 35.
Per the reports, 21 sloths among the December group died from 'cold stun'. A previous co-owner told the FWC that the warehouse was not ready to receive the sloths because the building allegedly did not have water or electricity.
The co-owner then alleged that space heaters were purchased and turned on by running an extension cord to an adjacent building. He told the FWC that a fuse tripped one night, leaving the sloths without heat.
Unlike most mammals, sloths cannot regulate their own body temperature. If their temperature drops too low for too long, the gut bacteria they rely on to digest food can die - effectively causing them to starve, according to the Sloth Conservation Foundation.
Among the February 2025 shipment of sloths, two of them were dead on arrival. The remaining eight sloths 'appeared emaciated and in very poor health' before later dying, according to the FWC report.
One of Sloth World's former co-owners, who is no longer associated with the venture, gave a statement to FOX 35 and denied the FWC's claims in the report. He said the sloths died of a virus.
'We are aware of rumors such as claiming that our sloths were 'cold-stunned' or left without water and electricity. These claims are entirely false,' he said. 'The Florida FWC conducted a thorough inspection of our facility just last week, found absolutely no wrongdoings, and fully renewed our license.'
He added: 'Recently, our facility has been managing a difficult situation involving a foreign virus. We have worked tirelessly alongside our veterinarian, the Florida Department of Agriculture, and other outside experts to successfully identify the virus and address it.'
No one associated with Sloth World has been cited or hit with any consequences as a result of the sloth deaths because the FWC said there was 'no intentional mal conduct or demonstration of inability/unwillingness to comply with captive wildlife rules'.
However, according to the FWC's Captive Wildlife Report, the agency did warn Sloth World's operators that their cages were too small.
During an August 2025 inspection, there were six sloths at the warehouse. Four were in one cage, while two were in two separate cages.
The two that were by themselves were housed in metal cages that measured 33" X 22 ½" X 4'7.5", far smaller than the required 4' x 6' x 8' dimensions, per the FWC report.
According to the report, animals can temporarily be held in smaller cages when they are being sold or being taken to a veterinarian. This cannot last longer than 60 days, the FWC said.
To comply with this rule, facilities are supposed to mark the enclosure with the date that the animal was first put inside.
'It was noted that neither the animal nor the cage was marked and traceable to written records that indicated when these sloths were placed within these smaller cages,' the report said. 'A verbal warning for this captive wildlife discrepancy was issued.'
Sloth World Orlando was supposed to open on March 1, but this date has since passed.
