Sanford business turns Sloth World disappointment into zoo fundraiser
Sanford’s Sloth World fundraiser has raised as much as $60,000, but three rescued sloths have died and the zoo is still treating the rest.
A Sanford fundraiser built from Sloth World’s collapse has already brought in roughly $50,000 to $60,000, but the money is now going to emergency care for sloths that arrived at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in rough shape. What started as disappointment for local business owners has become a community effort to cover the cost of rescuing and treating animals from a failed attraction.
Amber Babcock and her Whisker Works business were left with stockpiled materials and broken promises when Sloth World fell apart before opening. Instead of letting that inventory sit, Whisker Works joined Sanford Main Street and other local businesses in a campaign built around “Help Us Hang In There” shirts, sold for $35, with proceeds going to the zoo’s sloth care. A new batch of the shirts was later restocked at the Sanford Welcome Center, keeping the fundraiser visible downtown.
The effort has traveled far beyond Seminole County. Shirts tied to the campaign reportedly shipped to buyers in more than 40 states and Puerto Rico, turning a local cleanup from a failed venture into a broader show of support. That reach also shows how quickly a Sanford business response can scale when residents and donors rally around a cause that feels both local and immediate.
The need remains urgent. The Central Florida Zoo took in 13 sloths in late April 2026 after they were voluntarily surrendered from Sloth World. Zoo officials said several of the animals were critically ill because of severe neglect and malnutrition. By mid-May, at least three of the 13 rescued sloths had died despite round-the-clock veterinary care. Habanero died at the zoo on May 3. Two others, Dolce and Chewie, later improved enough to leave intensive care.
For Sanford, the fundraiser has become more than a quirky animal story. It has exposed the cost of a collapsed attraction, the strain shifted onto a regional zoo, and the way small businesses end up filling gaps when a promised project fails. What remains now is a local repair effort, with Sanford Main Street, Whisker Works and other donors helping carry the burden left behind by Sloth World.
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