A second former Sloth World sloth has died after being transferred to the Central Florida Zoo.
Habanero, an adult male sloth, had been in critical condition since late Friday afternoon, the Central Florida Zoo says. Despite the zoo’s veterinary and animal care teams’ efforts, he passed away Saturday.
“Habanero had shown encouraging early signs of progress, including eating and drinking regularly, and had stabilized under the care of the Zoo’s animal care and veterinary teams. In recent days, however, staff observed increased lethargy,”
Habanero is the second animal to pass away since a remaining 13 Sloth World sloths were rescued by the zoo. Bandit, another adult male who had been in “guarded condition” for days, died Wednesday.
The 13 rescued sloths were donated to the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford last week and placed under a 30-day quarantine for close assessment and monitoring. They all survived the first two nights in the zoo’s care.
“Our team worked tirelessly to provide the highest level of care possible for Habanero,” said CEO Richard E. Glover, Jr. “While we are deeply saddened by this loss, we remain committed to doing everything we can for the remaining sloths. Situations like this are incredibly difficult, but they are not unexpected given the fragile condition some of these animals were in upon arrival.”
The Central Florida Zoo says its team remains dedicated to caring for the remaining 11 sloths. At this time, another two sloths are in “guarded condition.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission first uncovered the deaths of 31 sloths under Sloth World’s care back in August 2025.
The animals, imported in shipments starting in late 2024, were brought to a warehouse on International Drive that had no running water, no electricity and faulty space heaters that were plugged in with extension cords running from another building, the FWC report says.
As even more sloths were imported, Sloth World learned that viruses including a “novel two-toed sloth gammaherpesvirus” were making their way throughout the warehouse, according to necropsy reports and internal company emails reviewed by Inside Climate News.
Former owner of Sloth World Benjamin Agresta has since said he plans to file for bankruptcy and that the attraction will no longer open.
Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, last week called for a criminal investigation into the operators of Sloth World in a letter sent to AG James Uthmeier.
Eskamani’s letter raised concerns of potential violations of Florida law, including animal cruelty and “unlawful acts involving captive wildlife.” She also questioned the state’s regulatory oversight — describing the situation as a failure of government.
Orlando’s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.
Related Stories
Florida Rep. Eskamani urges state AG to launch criminal probe into Sloth World
Rescued Sloth World sloths survive first nights at Central Florida Zoo
31 sloths died at Orlando Sloth World warehouse before it opened
Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
