State wildlife officials intend to temporarily halt the importation of sloths into Florida as they reevaluate current permit rules for such exotic animals.
The move is in response to the deaths of 55 sloths from South America, which were tied to a scuttled Sloth World attraction in Orlando.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Roger Young said the agency’s wildlife team investigated the now bankrupt Sloth World facility. He said an executive order is also in the works to temporarily prohibit the importation of sloths to the state while Class III permits involving exotic animals are under review.
“This very unfortunate situation resulted from one facility, Sloth World, and they’re no longer licensed. And it is not a widespread issue,” Young said at the start of the conservation commission meeting at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center in Fort Myers on Wednesday. “Staff is on it. We look forward to working with all of the industry partners moving forward to make sure we get these rules right for the well-being of sloths.”
Sloths are classified as Class III wildlife, a category for non-native, non-domesticated species such as lemurs, foxes, and various reptiles requiring minimal oversight. Under this classification, permit holders are required to report escapes, bite incidents or transfers, but there are no rules or laws regarding notifications about animal illness or death.
“Our captive wildlife team also contacted all other Class III facilities throughout Florida that house sloths to assess the animals’ health and found no significant issues,” Young said. “It appears that this group of sloths contracted an intestinal infection that resulted in severe, and in many cases, fatal effects.”
Surviving sloths from Sloth World have been relocated to the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Sanford, Young said.
Earlier this month, a release from the FWC stated necropsy reports from several of the sloths showed positive test results for systemic viral infections. The infections included gammaherpesvirus and a virus related to Changuinola virus, which is primarily transmitted by sand flies in Central and South America.
The sloths also had neurological, respiratory, and gastrointestinal disease, as well as evidence of immune suppression, according to the FWC release.
Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky
This article appears in May 10-16, 2001.