Thirty-one sloths imported from South America died in a Florida warehouse because nobody turned on the heat—and the owners still claim it wasn’t their fault.
Story Snapshot
- Thirty-one sloths died at Sanctuary World Imports in Orlando from cold exposure and poor health conditions in December 2024 and February 2025
- Twenty-one sloths from Guyana froze to death when temperatures dropped to 40-55°F in an unprepared warehouse lacking water and electricity
- Facility owners deny state findings, blaming a “foreign virus” despite official reports confirming cold stun and neglect
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission issued no citations, finding no intentional misconduct despite admissions of unpreparedness
- Thirteen surviving sloths were relocated to Central Florida Zoo while Sloth World Orlando prepares to open its slotharium attraction
When Good Intentions Meet Cold Reality
Peter Bandre, the facility licensee, admitted his warehouse was unprepared when the first shipment arrived. No water. No electricity. Space heaters that failed when fuses tripped.
Twenty-one sloths from Guyana huddled in temperatures plummeting to 40 degrees Fahrenheit while their body systems shut down.
The animals that survived tropical rainforests couldn’t survive a Florida winter night in an unheated warehouse two minutes from International Drive, where tourists would eventually pay to watch their relatives lounge in climate-controlled comfort.
Sloths aren’t built for cold. Their bodies rely entirely on environmental warmth because they cannot regulate their own temperature effectively.
Below 68 degrees, the bacteria in their stomachs that digest leaves begin to die. The sloths don’t freeze to death in the traditional sense—they starve while their digestive systems fail.
Dr. Rebecca Cliffe from the Sloth Conservation Foundation confirms sloths need temperatures between 81 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit to thrive. The USDA guidelines state they require minimum temperatures of 68 to 85 degrees. Sanctuary World Imports provided neither.
The Second Wave of Death
February 2025 brought another shipment, this time from Peru. Two sloths arrived already dead. The remaining eight were emaciated, their bodies wasted from whatever conditions they endured before reaching Orlando.
All ten died from what the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission called “poor health issues.” The facility had months to prepare after the December disaster. They knew what sloths needed. They imported them anyway. This wasn’t ignorance—it was a pattern.
Sickness, cold killed nearly 30 sloths at a Florida import warehouse in 2024 and 2025 https://t.co/mdzU26IMpb
— Local 4 WDIV Detroit (@Local4News) April 26, 2026
The FWC conducted a routine inspection in August 2025 and documented the deaths. Their report found no violations. No citations were issued.
The agency determined there was “no intentional misconduct,” a legal determination that raises questions about what constitutes negligence when dealing with exotic wildlife.
Bandre acknowledged the facility wasn’t ready and announced plans to hire a third veterinarian. By March 2026, inspections showed that the warehouse maintained a stable 82-degree temperature with no issues. The improvements came too late for thirty-one animals.
The Virus Defense That Doesn’t Add Up
Sloth World Orlando co-owners pushed back against the state’s findings, making a claim that strains credulity. They blamed a “foreign virus” and insisted they worked with veterinarians and the Florida Department of Agriculture to manage it. This contradicts every official finding. The FWC report specifically identifies cold stun and poor health as causes of death.
No virus appears in state documents. No viral outbreak would explain why sloths died specifically when temperatures dropped below survivable ranges or why emaciated animals from a second country died months later from different conditions.
The owners stated recent FWC inspections found “absolutely no” issues and claimed cold stun allegations were “entirely false.” These denials ignore Bandre’s own admissions about the facility’s unpreparedness and the failed heating systems.
The state found no intentional wrongdoing, but the absence of criminal intent doesn’t erase responsibility for foreseeable consequences. Importing tropical animals into inadequate conditions during winter produces predictable results.
The Business of Exotic Entertainment
Sloth World Orlando plans to open a first-of-its-kind “slotharium” where visitors observe sloths without handling them. The concept appeals to tourists seeking wildlife experiences without the ethical concerns of interactive exhibits.
But this tragedy exposes the risks of rushing exotic imports to meet business timelines. The economic calculus apparently justified importing dozens of wild-caught sloths from Guyana and Peru before proper quarantine facilities were operational. Tourism revenue projections evidently outweighed the cost of delaying shipments until basic infrastructure was ready.
The thirteen surviving sloths now live at Central Florida Zoo, removed from the warehouse that killed their companions. Sloth World continues preparing to open, reportedly compliant with current regulations.
The absence of penalties sends a troubling message about accountability in wildlife imports. If admitting unpreparedness, documenting failures that killed thirty-one animals, and ignoring basic biological requirements result in no legal consequences.
Florida law apparently required no reporting of these deaths, which is why the public learned about them through FWC inspection reports rather than mandatory disclosures.
What Dead Sloths Reveal About Priorities
This incident crystallizes a broader tension in exotic animal commerce. Entrepreneurs see opportunities to profit from public fascination with unusual wildlife.
Conservationists see the exploitation of animals torn from their native habitats to satisfy human entertainment demands. Regulators occupy an uncomfortable middle ground, trying to enforce standards without strangling businesses.
The thirty-one dead sloths at Sanctuary World Imports represent what happens when those competing interests collide with insufficient oversight and inadequate preparation masquerading as acceptable risk.
The state determined nobody acted with malicious intent, which may be legally accurate but morally unsatisfying. Sloths died because a business imported them before establishing the conditions necessary for their survival.
That choice reflected priorities. Whether those priorities align with the responsible stewardship of exotic wildlife or merely with opening-day deadlines is revealed in the death toll. Sloth World will likely open. Tourists will visit.
The industry will continue importing exotic animals for profit. And thirty-one sloths that survived rainforests but not a Florida warehouse will remain a footnote in someone else’s business plan.
Sources:
Sickness, cold killed nearly 30 sloths at Florida import warehouse – ABC News
