Central Florida Zoo cares for rescued sloths as recovery continues
Four of 13 rescued sloths died after arriving at the Sanford zoo; nine survivors are still in biological quarantine and under round-the-clock care.
Nine rescued sloths remained behind the scenes at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in Sanford, where veterinarians said the animals are still working through recovery after arriving from Sloth World on April 24, 2026. The zoo took in 13 sloths, including Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths and Linnaeus’s two-toed sloths, after many were found dehydrated and underweight. By the time the zoo marked the 30-day quarantine period, it had released the names and photos of the survivors: Blackberry, Chewie, Dolce, Hazel, Leeloo, Mojo Jojo, Pearl, Phantom and Willow.
Four of the 13 rescued animals died during the intensive care period. Bandit died on April 29, Habanero died on May 3 after being in critical condition, Dumpling died later, and Mr. Ginger died on May 15. Mr. Ginger, described as the youngest and smallest sloth in the group at an estimated 4 to 6 months old, had been hand-fed every few hours and kept in an incubator to help regulate body temperature before he was humanely euthanized. Chewie and Dolce improved enough to come out of the ICU, while the others continued to need around-the-clock veterinary attention.
The zoo later clarified that the 30-day benchmark was a biological quarantine period for mammals, not a release date, and that even adding new staff members could stress the animals. Sloths digest slowly, and the zoo said it can take about 30 days for leaves to ferment and move through the digestive system, which means the animals may only now be beginning to process the nutrients from recent feedings. The surviving sloths remain under the care of a small team in constant contact with Association of Zoos and Aquariums specialists. The zoo has been AZA-accredited continuously since 1986, and it said the animals are part of the Species Survival Plans, underscoring that this is both an emergency rescue and a conservation case.
The broader questions have not gone away. More than 50 sloths imported to Florida and stored in warehouses, including animals tied to the abandoned Sloth World attraction, died between December 2024 and March 2026, and 31 sloths shipped from Guyana and Peru died at Sloth World facilities, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission attributing those deaths to cold stun or poor health and issuing no citations, warnings or violations. Orange County building officials later issued a stop-work order at an International Drive warehouse after determining it appeared animals were being stored without the proper use permit. Lawmakers and animal-welfare groups have since pushed for state and federal scrutiny, with Anna Eskamani seeking a criminal investigation by the Florida Attorney General’s Office, Maxwell Frost asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals also calling for one. For Seminole County, the zoo’s role in Sanford has become the focal point of a rescue that is still unfolding, with the recovery of the surviving sloths now testing both veterinary capacity and the system meant to protect exotic animals before they reach crisis.
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