Nine dehydrated and underweight sloths saved from a Florida warehouse are on the mend, with zoo officials saying the creatures’ personalities “are beginning to shine through.”
Last month, 13 sickly two-toed sloths that were meant to be part of Sloth World Orlando, an attraction that never opened, were saved from a warehouse in Orange County and brought to Central Florida Zoo for emergency care, Fox 35 reported.
Sloth World was marketed as the world’s only “slothnarium” and was expected to open in March, until the company announced it was abandoning its plan to open and would file for bankruptcy after more than 50 of the sloths shipped to Florida for the attraction died.
Four of the sloths were in critical condition — Bandit, Habanero, Dumpling and Mr. Ginger — and later died, the zoo said.
Two of the sloths, Chewie and Dolce, were released from intensive care on Friday, while seven other sloths remain under close watch by the zoo’s animal care and veterinary teams.
“As the weeks go on, their personalities are really starting to shine through. We’re seeing more natural sloth behaviors, more curiosity, and more moments that make us hopeful for their continued progress,” the zoo said in a Friday update.
Along with the update, the zoo shared photos of each of the sloths, who are named Leeloo, Blackberry, Chewie, Dolce, Hazel, Mojo Jojo, Pearl, Phantom and Willow.
“We’re really excited to finally share photos of these incredible animals with you, and in the coming weeks, we look forward to introducing each sloth individually, sharing more about their unique personalities!” the zoo added.
The deaths of the 50 sloths imported to Florida for the attraction sparked widespread outcry amongst Florida officials. The animals had been exported to the U.S. from Central and South America between December 2024 and March 2026.
The sloths were then stored in at least two makeshift warehouses in Orlando and Orange County, according to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
One of the warehouses was permitted to store vehicles, not animals, Fox 35 reported. One of the facilities also lacked electricity and running water, but officials were told it was “too late to cancel the shipment,” according to a FWC incident report.
Most of the deaths were linked to “cold stun,” a condition caused by exposure to low temperatures, according to the report.
Space heaters were brought in to address the temperatures, but the fuse tripped, leaving the animals without heat for at least one night, officials said in the report.
Sloth World was owned by Peter Bandre and Ben Agresta, but Bandre left the company earlier this year, according to Fox 35.
Agresta, Sloth World’s owner, previously denied FWC records that claimed the building lacked electricity or water, and blamed the sloths’ deaths on a virus, rather than the “cold stun.”
"There is so much false and inaccurate information out there right now. The truth is, we lost sloths that had a virus of which showed barely any symptoms and was undetectable even after necropsy," he said in a statement. On Tuesday the Sloth World website appeared to no longer be live.
After the 13 sloths were taken to the Central Florida Zoo, Agresta said he would no longer open the attraction and file for bankruptcy, according to the report.
Meanwhile, the FWC has since issued a nearly 60-day ban on importing sloths to Florida.
Florida Attorney James Uthmeier said his office was assisting State Attorney Monique Worrell’s office with an “ongoing criminal investigation” into Sloth World.
