The Central Florida Zoo euthanized a second sloth that had been part of a group of 13 transferred from the troubled Sloth World attraction, zoo officials said Monday. Habanero, an adult male, was euthanized Saturday after his condition deteriorated at the zoo’s rehabilitation facility in Sanford.
“When the sloths arrived, all were underweight and are being treated for gastrointestinal (GI) issues, requiring intensive, specialized care,” the zoo said in a statement. “Habanero initially showed encouraging signs of stabilization, including eating and drinking regularly under the close supervision of the zoo’s veterinary and animal care teams. In recent days, however, his condition worsened.”
The death of Habanero follows that of another sloth, Bandit, who died the previous week after the same transfer. The zoo described both animals as receiving around-the-clock care for the underweight and digestive problems they arrived with.
Sloth World, a tourist attraction planned for Orlando’s tourism district that never opened, surrendered the sloths as scrutiny intensified over its treatment of the animals. Inspection reports from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, obtained by the Associated Press, show 31 sloth deaths at the attraction’s facilities in a two-month span.
According to the state wildlife agency, 21 sloths imported from Guyana died in December 2024 at an Orlando facility then called Sanctuary World Imports when nighttime temperatures fell into the 40-to-55 degree Fahrenheit range — well below the 68-to-85 degree range sloths require to regulate their body heat. A subsequent shipment of 10 sloths from Peru arrived in February 2025; two were dead on arrival, and the rest, described as emaciated in the agency’s report, died from what the report termed “poor health issues.”
State and local authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into the sloths’ treatment under Sloth World’s care. A phone number listed for the attraction in the wildlife agency’s report went unanswered Monday.