Sometimes you scan the headlines and wonder if the world could get any worse. Then reality taps you on the shoulder and says, “Hold my beer”.
Enter Sloth World Orlando, a newly constructed ‘slotharium’ in Florida that was about to open its doors to the public, promising visitors a 7,500-square-foot immersive, rainforest-style habitat housing more than 40 sloths.
On buying your ticket, you’d be able to walk through a tropical indoor environment to observe sloths climbing, eating, and doing sloth-type things, while being educated about sloth behavior, conservation, and welfare. There’s only one problem: most of the sloths are now dead.
According to a report from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, shipments of the 31 sloths intended to populate Sloth World arrived from Guyana and Peru in Dec. 2024 and Feb. 2025 respectively. While the attraction was being constructed, the sloths were stored in a nearby warehouse where, tragically, the majority of them died.
21 sloths from the Guyana batch died from “cold stun”, apparently arising from their storage warehouse not being ready to receive the first shipment of sloths and not having running water or electricity. Frantic staff tried to heat the room with space heaters, but one night the fuse tripped, and temperatures fatally plummeted.
The sloths from Peru didn’t fare much better, with two being found dead on arrival and eight more “appeared emaciated and in very poor health”.
The co-owners say it’s not their fault all the sloths died
A Sloth World Orlando former co-owner disputed the official report, telling a Fox35 reporter that they instead died from “a virus”, so it’s not really his fault. He underlined:
“We have always prioritized the health and well-being of our animals, investing millions into their care and habitats. We remain deeply committed to the continued care, safety, and health of our sloth population.”
Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost has vowed to get to the bottom of this:
I am appalled to hear about the 31 sloths who died under the “care” of the not yet opened Sloth World in Orlando.
— Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@RepMaxwellFrost) April 23, 2026
These sloths — naturally solitary animals — were put in the worst conditions possible. They were taken from their natural habitats to a packed warehouse that wasn’t…
“I am appalled to hear about the 31 sloths who died under the “care” of the not yet opened Sloth World in Orlando.
These sloths — naturally solitary animals — were put in the worst conditions possible. They were taken from their natural habitats to a packed warehouse that wasn’t properly heated and allowed for the spread of deadly viruses, leading to a stress-induced death.
My office is looking into this tragedy, and we will coordinate with local officials to determine how to best move forward.”
It is now unclear whether Sloth World Orlando will ever open its doors to the public. As most of their sloths are dead, they have one glaring problem they need to address, but even if they did get off the ground surely the negative publicity around this incident will put off any potential customers.
Perhaps the lesson here is that stuffing tropical animals into a roadside tourist attraction is, even with the best care in the world, going to be inhumane and cruel. Here’s hoping for justice for these poor sloths.
Published: Apr 24, 2026 07:21 am