Sloth World will not open following animal deaths

From the article:

A planned International Drive attraction called Sloth World will not open following dozens of animal deaths, conservation groups said late Friday, as its 13 remaining sloths were placed in the care of animal experts at Central Florida Zoo & Biological Gardens.

The 13 sloths arrived Friday and are in quarantine at the Sanford zoo, said Richard E. Glover, CEO of the zoo. Sloth World owner Ben Agresta reached out to zoo officials early in the week, Glover said.

In a joint statement, the Sloth Conservation Foundation and the Sloth Institute, two international conservation groups that had been critical of the attraction, said Sloth World would be closing permanently. It had been announced in December as a guided, walk-through tour with an emphasis on conservation and education. It was initially scheduled to begin public tours in February, and reportedly has sold many advance VIP tickets at $49 each.

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News reports last week established that at least 31 sloths have died since late 2024 in a converted warehouse operated by Sloth World about a mile from the planned public venue. The conservation groups said Friday that another 24 sloths obtained by Sloth World are unaccounted for.

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Also on Friday, Orange County said a county building inspector had sought access to the Sloth World warehouse Thursday because it does not have a required permit to hold animals, but was unable to gain entrance despite four separate attempts.

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In December, Agresta described to the Sentinel his plans for Sloth World as a home for guided walk-through tours among sloths living in a re-created rainforest setting. He said he expected to have at least 40 sloths in the building.

But by that time, inspectors for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had collected details about the deaths of 31 sloths imported from Guyana and Peru via Miami International Airport in late 2024 and early 2025.

The first 21 were taken to the warehouse, which had neither electricity nor water. Space heaters were added, but a tripped fuse kept the animals in the cold for at least one night. Later, 10 more sloths were delivered, but two were dead on arrival, and the others died due to health issues, an incident report said.

FWC detailed the warehouse conditions in a report of an August 2025 inspection disclosed by Inside Climate News. Some information in the state report was provided by Peter Bandre, who — at the time — was Sloth World’s vice president and a business partner of Agresta. Bandre has since left Sloth World.