The world’s first “slotharium” was slapped with a stop-work order Thursday after a probe alarmingly found 31 sloths had died in the care of the Florida company prior to its grand opening last month.
Sloth World Orlando received two shipments of two and three-toed sloths — one in December 2024 from Guyana and one from Peru in February 2025 — in anticipation of its March 1 opening on the city’s famed International Drive. But 21 of the warm-blooded mammals in the first shipment died from a “cold stun” shortly after arriving in the Sunshine State.
Under Florida law, Sloth World was not obligated to report the deaths to the FWC — but during a routine, unannounced inspection in August 2025, the agency learned of the deaths and subsequently launched a probe into the care and safety of the notoriously slow-moving mammals, native to Central and South America, FOX 35 reported.
The sloths were being housed in a warehouse facility two minutes away from where the attraction was set to open, to help the furry-mammals acclimate, before being transferred to the permanent public exhibit, the FWC said in its findings.
A previous co-owner of Sloth World, who remains unidentified, also told the agency that the facility didn’t have running water or electricity at the time, and was not ready to house the incoming sloth’s arrival — but it was too late to cancel the shipment.
As a work-around to keep the sleepy mammals warm enough, space heaters were purchased and powered by a nearby building via an extension cord.
But the fuse tripped at some point, leaving them without heat for at least one night, the report claims.
Sloths require a warm, tropical environment for survival — ideally between 81 and 90 degrees, according to The Sloth Conservation Foundation. Temperatures below 68 degrees can be fatal.
Florida’s average daily temperature in December 2024 was 56 degrees, though the coldest recorded day, Dec. 22, was just 46 degrees.
Months later, two sloths from the Peru shipment were found dead on arrival and the remaining eight died sometime later after appearing “emaciated and in very poor health” on arrival, according to the FWC report.
The former owner refuted claims of negligence and pinned the deaths on a “foreign virus.”
“We are aware of rumors such as claiming that our sloths were ‘cold-stunned’ or left without water and electricity. These claims are entirely false,” they told FOX 35.
“Recently, our facility has been managing a difficult situation involving a foreign virus.”
Despite the harrowing death toll, the FWC didn’t issue any violations to Sloth World Orlando.
However, a “stop-work” order was issued Thursday by the Orange County’s Division of Building Safety — as an inspector determined that it appeared animals were being stored in the warehouse facility without a use permit, according to FOX 35.
The United States Department of Agriculture also confirmed that Sloth World Orlando does not have an Animal Welfare License on file, which is required by anyone wanting to publicly display animals, the outlet reported.
Sloth World’s website now appears to be taken down — and no re-opening date has been announced, according to the outlet.
US Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) was “appalled” to hear of the deaths and said his office will be investigating the tragedy with local officials.
“I am appalled to hear about the 31 sloths who died under the “care” of the not yet opened Sloth World in Orlando,” his statement on X said.
“These sloths — naturally solitary animals — were put in the worst conditions possible,” Frost fumed.
“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 an stress-induced death.”
