Languorous tree dwellers from Guyana and Peru died from ‘cold stun’ in warehouse with no power or running water
Wildlife officials in Florida said in a newly released report that dozens of sloths taken from South American rainforests for display at a controversial new tourist attraction in Orlando died in the care of their new owners.
An incident report from the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) said that 31 of the mammals procured from Peru and Guyana by the owners of a forthcoming attraction called Sloth World perished in a storage warehouse more than a year ago, between December 2024 and February 2025.
According to the report, the facility’s then owner, Peter Bandre, told inspectors that 21 two-toed sloths from Guyana were victims of a “cold stun”, after temporary heaters failed. The warehouse had no water or power of its own, Bandre said, and the heaters were run by extension cables from a neighboring building.
The other 10 sloths came in a shipment from Peru. Two were found dead on arrival, and the others succumbed to “poor health issues” after appearing emaciated.
