Florida officials launch criminal probe into Sloth World deaths

Cristóbal Reyes, Orlando Sentinel on May 1, 2026

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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier confirmed Friday that a criminal probe is underway into the deaths of sloths at Sloth World, a planned International Drive attraction that will not open after animals languished and perished in warehouses owned by the company in Orlando.

The criminal investigation is being led by the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office with assistance of a statewide prosecutor with expertise in “animal welfare law,” who will consider possible charges, including those under Florida’s animal cruelty laws, Uthmeier said in a letter Friday.

“Our office is unwavering in its commitment to pursuing justice on behalf of those who are unable to protect themselves,” he wrote. “We will ensure accountability wherever the evidence requires.”

A spokesperson for State Attorney Monique Worrell did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The probe comes as state Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, and animal rights groups called for a criminal investigation into the deaths of at least 32 sloths imported by Sloth World from Guyana and Peru. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission initially declined to pursue criminal legal action after several inspections at Sloth World’s facilities, the most recent on March 24.

The sloths’ deaths were first reported by Inside Climate News.

Last week, Sloth World gave its 13 remaining sloths to the Central Florida Zoo, one of which arrived in very poor health and died Wednesday. The others, though some needed intensive treatments, are stable, the zoo said.

On Thursday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal rights group, sent a letter to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement urging the agency to criminally investigate owners Ben Agresta and Peter Bandre for aggravated animal cruelty. The group said Bandre, described on Sloth World’s website as “one of the most respected sloth experts in the world,” and Agresta “had every reason to know” the sloths were being kept in dangerous conditions.

“PETA is thrilled to see Sloth World is being investigated,” PETA Foundation legal counsel Cydnee Bance told the Orlando Sentinel.

In her own letter to Uthmeier, Eskamani also called for a review of Sloth World’s practices in bringing the sloths to Orlando.

“The loss of dozens of animals under preventable conditions demands accountability,” she wrote. “These reports raise not only questions of individual responsibility, but also broader concerns about regulatory oversight and enforcement.”

Inspection reports by the FWC revealed 31 deaths between December 2024 and February 2025. Twenty-one sloths from Guyana died from a “cold stun” on Dec. 22, 2024, after being left in a warehouse on International Drive that “was not properly set and ready to receive sloths during” a period of low outdoor temperatures.

Accustomed to a tropical climate, the animals languished inside the cold warehouse after space heaters set up in the facility shut down with no one present to correct it, records show.

Agresta denied news reports about the sloths dying from the cold, instead pinning the cause on viral infections, Inside Climate News said.

Ten more sloths died months later shortly after arriving from Peru, with two dead on arrival and the others, described as appearing “emaciated and in very poor health,” later succumbing to illness. Conservation groups said last week that Sloth World has decided not to open, and Uthmeier said it intends to file for bankruptcy.

As of Friday, no court records on such an action could be found.

The FWC was made aware of the deaths in an unannounced inspection of the facilities in August 2025, resulting in a verbal warning — not for the deaths, but for the cages in which the sloths were housed.

The cages were too small, the agency said, but Sloth World replaced them.

“There was no legal basis for enforcement action or closure, and while the deaths of these animals are tragic, subsequent inspections found the facility compliant with care and housing standards,” an FWC spokesperson said prior to Uthmeier’s announcement of a criminal investigation.

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