Florida prosecutors launch criminal investigation into deaths of 31 sloths

Prosecutors in Florida said on Friday they had launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of dozens of sloths from South America that were set to be displayed at a controversial new theme park. A Florida fish and wildlife commission (FWC) report revealed last week that 31 mammals taken from rainforests in Peru and Guyana by the owners of Sloth World, a forthcoming tourist attraction in Orlando, perished in an unheated warehouse between December 2024 and February 2025. The Central Florida Zoo posted on Facebook on Wednesday that one of 13 other sloths since rescued from the warehouse in poor health, and named by its owners Bandit, had been euthanized. Meanwhile, the theme park’s proprietor has reportedly filed for bankruptcy and abandoned plans to open for business. On Friday, James Uthmeier, Florida’s attorney general, said in a post on X that prosecutors from his office were assisting counterparts from the state’s ninth circuit in an “ongoing criminal investigation” into the animals’ deaths and the circumstances of their seizure from their natural habitat. “Our office is unwavering in its commitment to pursuing justice on behalf of those who are unable to protect themselves,” Uthmeier wrote in a letter to Democratic state representative Anna Eskamani, who a day earlier had demanded an investigation . …