ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani led a news conference in Orlando on Wednesday, calling for criminal charges and policy changes following the deaths of 55 sloths connected to Sloth World.
Joined by Orange County commissioners and sloth conservation experts who traveled from Costa Rica, Eskamani spoke outside the shuttered Sloth World facility on International Drive.
“It’s just truly unacceptable. And if we were here outside a pet store for dogs or for cats, there would have been arrests made already, said Eskamani.
Newly obtained records show another 21 sloths died while under Sloth World’s care, bringing the total known death toll to 55. The 178 pages of records, obtained from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, include necropsy reports detailing the deaths. Those records are separate from documents previously obtained from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC, which detailed the deaths of 31 sloths.
Dr. Rebecca Cliffe, founder and executive director of the Sloth Conservation Foundation, said conditions made the sloths’ survival virtually impossible.
“In 2024, 21 sloths were brought here from Guyana, and they were placed in an unprepared warehouse in a parking lot with no electricity, no climate control, and no running water,” said Cliffe. “And within a matter of days, all 21 of those sloths were dead. Another 10 sloths were then imported from Peru. All 10 of those animals died as well. None of these deaths were reported at the time because under the current system."
The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in Sanford announced Tuesday that Dumpling, one of 13 sloths received from Sloth World on April 24, had died — the third sloth to die at the zoo since the animals’ arrival. Dumpling’s death follows the losses of Habanero and Bandit. Ten sloths remain in the zoo’s care.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier previously confirmed his office is working with Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell to determine whether criminal charges can be filed against Sloth World’s owners.
FWC has stated it found no evidence of violations — a position Eskamani called unacceptable.
“When I first spoke to FWC, they also told me that there were two owners, Pete and Ben (Agresta), and that Pete was the sloth expert, and he’s not certified to be a sloth expert,” Eskamani said. “And so running an exotic pet store does not make you an expert on animals. If anything, you’re an expert on profiteering off animals."