A second sloth rescued from a now-closed Orlando attraction has died at the Central Florida Zoo, as authorities continue examining conditions tied to the deaths of dozens of animals.Habanero — one of several sloths taken in after the closure of Sloth World — died Saturday evening after his condition worsened.“We knew this was an uphill battle, but it’s really tough on the team to lose them,” said Richard Glover, the zoo’s CEO.Habanero was among 13 sloths transferred to the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford from Sloth World. Earlier in the week, another sloth named Bandit also died.Glover said many of the animals appear to have suffered from prolonged health issues.“They’re all dealing with things they’ve been dealing with, it appears, probably months,” Glover said. “It appears their nutrition has not been correct, and that has a lot of effects over a period of time. Trying to reverse that damage is very difficult.”The deaths come after reports that at least 31 sloths linked to the attraction had died.State Rep. Anna Eskamani said she is working with colleagues to push for accountability and policy changes.“These sloths did not grow up in captivity,” Eskamani said. “They were taken from the wild and brought for human entertainment to Florida. That alone should be prohibited.”On Friday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier responded to Eskamani’s request for a criminal investigation, saying in a letter that his office is committed to pursuing justice and ensuring accountability where warranted by evidence.Zoo officials said they will continue efforts to care for the remaining 11 sloths. While most appear to be in relatively stable condition, staff members are closely monitoring two animals.“The very hard thing with wild animals is they can’t show any signs of weakness,” Glover said.The zoo said two other sloths are in guarded condition, but the rest of them appear to be in pretty good shape.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
A second sloth rescued from a now-closed Orlando attraction has died at the Central Florida Zoo, as authorities continue examining conditions tied to the deaths of dozens of animals.
Habanero — one of several sloths taken in after the closure of Sloth World — died Saturday evening after his condition worsened.
“We knew this was an uphill battle, but it’s really tough on the team to lose them,” said Richard Glover, the zoo’s CEO.
Habanero was among 13 sloths transferred to the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford from Sloth World. Earlier in the week, another sloth named Bandit also died.
Glover said many of the animals appear to have suffered from prolonged health issues.
“They’re all dealing with things they’ve been dealing with, it appears, probably months,” Glover said. “It appears their nutrition has not been correct, and that has a lot of effects over a period of time. Trying to reverse that damage is very difficult.”
The deaths come after reports that at least 31 sloths linked to the attraction had died.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani said she is working with colleagues to push for accountability and policy changes.
“These sloths did not grow up in captivity,” Eskamani said. “They were taken from the wild and brought for human entertainment to Florida. That alone should be prohibited.”
On Friday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier responded to Eskamani’s request for a criminal investigation, saying in a letter that his office is committed to pursuing justice and ensuring accountability where warranted by evidence.
Zoo officials said they will continue efforts to care for the remaining 11 sloths. While most appear to be in relatively stable condition, staff members are closely monitoring two animals.
“The very hard thing with wild animals is they can’t show any signs of weakness,” Glover said.
The zoo said two other sloths are in guarded condition, but the rest of them appear to be in pretty good shape.