Sloth World Orlando: Investigation almost complete, findings expected in a few weeks, sheriff's office says

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - The Orange County Sheriff's Office said it has almost completed its investigation into Sloth World Orlando and expects to release its results in the next couple of weeks, a spokesperson told FOX 35.

"We believe the investigative report will be complete in the next several weeks," OCSO said in a statement to FOX 35 this week.

Sloth World investigation

What we know:

Very few details have been released about the scope of OCSO's investigation into Sloth World Orlando, a now-defunct sloth attraction on International Drive that came under intense scrutiny following FOX 35's reporting into the deaths of more than 50 sloths imported to Florida, which were being stored and cared for in a warehouse.

The owners behind Sloth World decided not to open the facility, donated 13 of the surviving sloths to the Central Florida Zoo, and relinquished its state animal permits.

Of the 13 donated sloths, all were found to be in critical condition, dehydrated, malnourished, and underweight, zoo officials said. Five of the 13 sloths ultimately died: Bandit, Habanero, Dumpling, Mr. Ginger, and Willow. The others have slowly been cleared from the ICU.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier revealed in May 2026 that one of its senior assistant statewide prosecutors, who has been described as an animal welfare law expert, was assisting the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in determining whether charges were possible. OCSO was then asked to conduct an investigation.

FOX 35 reached out to the Attorney General's Office for an update on the investigation. We did not receive a response before publication.

"The case remains under investigation by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and we have no additional information to share at this time," the State Attorney's Office told FOX 35 earlier this week in a statement.

"At this time, the FWC has no additional comments or information to provide regarding this topic," the FWC said in an email to FOX 35 earlier this week in response to requests for an on-camera interview. A spokesperson later re-shared a statement issued to FOX 35 in April regarding FWC's inspections into Sloth World.

The backstory:

In December 2024, 21 sloths were imported from Guyana to Florida to be part of Sloth World, the FWC said. All 21 died due to "inadequate climate conditions" at the warehouse facility, the FWC said. An FWC report, citing a previous Sloth World owner, noted that the building did not have running water or electricity. Space heaters were allegedly powered by extension cords connected to another building, which failed at some point, leaving the fragile animals without heat for several hours.

In February 2025, 10 more sloths were imported to Florida from Peru. Two died on arrival, while the other eight appeared "emaciated and in very poor health" – and later died. The FWC said the sloths likely died from disease.

In August 2025, the FWC conducted a surprise inspection at a warehouse and found six sloths inside the facility. This is the inspection where the FWC reportedly learned of the sloth deaths in December 2024 and February 2025. An inspector issued a "verbal warning" after two of the cages were deemed too small to house some of the sloths and errors with some records and reporting.

No other major issues were found with those inspections or subsequent inspections, according to the FWC inspection reports. The FWC said no major violations were issued because they could not determine "intentional malconduct" by the caretakers, which would not meet the legal threshold of animal cruelty.

Sloth imports to Florida now require a one-time Wildlife Importation Permit

Initially, sloths were part of a Class III wildlife permit. Under that permit type, Sloth World, or any other facility operating species under that permit, do not have to report animal deaths to the FWC. They also have 72 hours to report the importation of any animal imports.

Following the Sloth World situation, the FWC removed sloths from Class III and made them part of a Class I or II wildlife, which includes venomous reptiles, capuchin monkeys, spider monkeys, etc. Anyone who wants to import one of those species, including sloths, has to apply for a free Wildlife Importation Permit, which details the number of animals and species set to be imported, where they're coming from, who is transporting them, and whose care they'll be under in Florida.

A permit is required for each import event and needs to be submitted – and approved – in advance.

Meet the 8 remaining sloths

Sloth experts and the keepers at the Central Florida Zoo said sloths require a strict diet and environment and, like most animals, often hide stress or potential medical issues. While some of the sloths have been moved out of the ICU, a sloth could go from a healthy condition to a grave condition quickly and without notice, the officials said.

Here are the remaining sloths:

• Chewy
• Dolce
• Phantom
• Blackberry
• Hazel
• Leeloo
• Mojo Jojo
• Pearl

Sloth Protection Alliance: 5 changes we want to see

The Sloth Conservation Foundation, The Sloth Institute, and Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani partnered to form The Sloth Protection Alliance, a coalition of organizations that want to end sloth imports and the commercialization of sloth attractions and exhibits.

They recently shared 5 changes with the FWC – and publicly – that they'd like to see:

• A permanent ban on the importation of wild-caught sloths into Florida (some exceptions for AZA-accredited facilities)
• Create a new category for sloths to move sloths to a higher classification than Class III
• Mandate immediate reporting of sloth deaths, transfers, sales, and births to FWC
• Ban direct-contact "Sloth Encounter" experiences
• Close loophole classifying sloths born from imported, pregnant females as "captive bred."

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