SANFORD, Fla. – Central Florida Zoo officials say Mr. Ginger, one of the dozen or so sloths from Sloth World under the zoo’s care, has died.
The zoo announced the youngest of the Sloth World sloths died despite round-the-clock efforts, including being hand-fed every few hours and spending time much of his time in an incubator to regulate his body temperature.
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Mr. Ginger was believed to be only four to six months old.
“He was a fighter, and he held on despite the odds,” zoo officials wrote in a post on Facebook. “Though our staff made every effort to give him the best possible chance at survival, his condition did not improve, and our team made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize him.”
Fifty-six sloths have now died of the animals brought to the United States for the Sloth World attraction that was supposed to open on International Drive in Orlando.
FWC reports show the sloths died of varying conditions, including cold weather and disease.
Central Florida Zoo received 13 sloths from the attraction, all in varying stages of malnutrition, zoo veterinarians have told News 6.
Three other sloths from Sloth World have also died at the zoo: Dumpling, Habanero and Bandit.
“We remain committed to caring for the rest of the sloths and hope for brighter days ahead,” the zoo said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Sanford community continues to rally around the zoo’s efforts to care for the animals. A T-shirt fundraiser is currently going on. Shirts are $35 and can be bought online.