- May 14, 2026
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a 60-day order Thursday suspending the importation of sloths into Florida from outside the U.S.
The order by commission Executive Director Roger Young puts a moratorium on issuing captive wildlife permits needed to handle sloths. The action stems from the deaths of more than 50 sloths that were to be part of the now bankrupt Sloth World in Orlando.
“This action is taken in consideration of the unique physiology of sloths and their susceptibility to severe illness caused in part by stress and inadequate husbandry practices,” the order states.
Sloths are classified as Class III wildlife, a category for non-native, non-domesticated species such as lemurs, foxes, and various reptiles that require minimal oversight. Under this classification, permit holders must report escapes, bite incidents or transfers but there are no rules or laws regarding notifications about animal illness or death.
Orlando Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani, who along with U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando, has discussed the fallout from Sloth World with the FWC, said the executive order gives the agency time to make needed changes because the current rules “do not do enough.”
“This has huge national implications for sensitive species like sloths, which are overwhelmingly stolen from the wild and brought to the United States for commercial purposes,” Eskamani said Wednesday.
The executive order focuses on sloths, which Eskamani said may be more “vulnerable and fragile” than some other Class III species. But sloths are not the only species that people permit or manage and that may need to be readdressed by the state, she noted.
“I’ve had folks reach out to me who are skunk people. They have skunks they manage,” Eskamani said. “The reality is that the FWC does not have the capacity for some of the ideas that have been pitched to them.”
Young said at the start of the Conservation Commission meeting in Fort Myers on Thursday that the order would create a pause so Class III permits involving exotic animals are under review.
“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,” Young said.
The order is effective until July 11.
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.
