Sloth experts visit Orlando, say Sloth World death toll hits 55

ORLANDO, Fla. - Sloth experts from Costa Rica said Wednesday that at least 55 sloths died after being imported by the never-opened Sloth World attraction in Orlando and demanded Florida officials hold the owners accountable for the deaths.

The two experts revealed the new, higher death toll alongside Central Florida lawmakers at a press conference outside the building that once was touted as a walk-through tour showcasing sloths while emphasizing conservation and education. Sloth World's owners had announced it would open in February and were selling advance VIP tickets for $49.

But the attraction had not opened by April when Inside Climate News reported animals were kept in small cages and died in an unheated warehouse run by the International Drive business, which is now not operating.

The experts, who traveled to meet with authorities and zoo officials about the deaths at Sloth World, called for a ban on sloth imports for commercial use as well as tighter regulations on how animals are housed and reported when they die.

The push for accountability and reform comes after news broke that 31 sloths died at properties run by Sloth World from December 2024 to February 2025, a revelation contained in a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and first publicized by Inside Climate News.

After that, Sloth World's owner transferred 13 sloths to the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford, and conservation groups said it would not open. The zoo said some of the sloths were in critical condition, and three have since died, despite veterinary care.

But on Wednesday, Rebecca Cliffe of the Sloth Conservation Foundation and Sam Trull of the Sloth Institute, who have examined sloth necropsy records, said the true death toll was at least 55, though they also said Sloth World's records made it hard to know for sure.

According to FWC, Sloth World reported 61 sloths imported to their facilities between December 2024 and last March. The experts said they counted 55 dead and 10 still alive at the zoo, so they aren't sure the accuracy of the 61-import tally.

"The math isn't mathing - there were not 61 sloths imported from what we can tell, so what's going on?" Cliffe said. "There's no clear answers, honestly, so that just points to inadequate record-keeping."

The two experts also raised alarm over the squalid conditions where the sloths were housed once they arrived in Florida. They described photos of the sloths sitting in their own diarrhea inside of crates, a sign of malnourishment and stress after the animals were ripped away from the rainforests they call home.

The sloths came from Guyana and Peru.

Twenty one sloths from Guyana died as the result of a "cold stun" after being placed in an improperly heated warehouse, Inside Climate News reported. Another 10 Peruvian sloths reportedly died of viral infections, including two found dead on arrival. That initial story said an unknown number of sloths imported subsequently had also died.

Florida law does not require facilities to report the deaths of animals kept in captivity to state authorities, one of the legal gaps in regulating the care of animals exhibited to the public that lawmakers hope to address. They also want to see a ban on sloth imports to the United States for commercial purposes, as well as a requirement for greater transparency when animals die in captivity.

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, has pressured prosecutors to consider criminal charges against Sloth World's owners. She also wants lawmakers to do more to protect captive animals in the future.

"We need the public to stay engaged with this story," Eskamani said. "It can't disappear. We cannot allow these sloths to die in vain."

The FWC initially declined to pursue charges into the sloths' deaths following letters by Eskamani and animal rights groups urging prosecutors to give the matter a closer look. But now state and local prosecutors are studying whether crimes took place.

Eskamani and the experts said an investigation could be done under Florida's animal abuse statutes, making it a crime to subject animals to unnecessary suffering.

"Placing highly sensitive animals into a warehouse with no electricity, no heat, and no running water resulted in suffering that was predictable, visible and entirely preventable," Cliffe said. "I struggle to understand how that does not constitute a violation, and if this does not meet the threshold for suffering under the law, then we have to ask whether the threshold is set far too low and whether the laws are sufficient."

The Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office, with the help of a statewide prosecutor is considering the possibility of criminal charges against Sloth World's owners, Ben Agresta, who has denied wrongdoing amid the public fallout of the attraction's closure, and Peter Bandre, who left the company ahead of its expected opening.

Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Friday the existence of a criminal probe in response to Eskamani's letter. State Attorney Monique Worrell said in a statement that her office is engaged in "preliminary discussions" about which agency would be best suited to lead the investigation.

Cliffe and Trull are expecting to meet with Worrell's office during their visit. On Wednesday afternoon, they were also expected to meet with staff at the zoo and U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando.

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 2:51 PM.