Every update on the Sloth World Orlando story has been harder to read than the one before it, and the news that arrived May 5 from the Central Florida Zoo is no different. A third sloth connected to the failed International Drive attraction has died in zoo care, and the circumstances surrounding the loss reflect exactly what the zoo's veterinary team warned about from the moment the 13 rescued animals arrived. These sloths came in compromised. Their bodies were carrying damage that no amount of expert care could fully undo. And the biological reality of how sloths process illness means that even animals that appeared to be stabilizing can suddenly decline without the kind of advance warning that would allow intervention to succeed.
Dumpling is gone. So is Habanero. And so is Bandit. Three of the thirteen sloths who made it out of Sloth World's possession alive have now died at the Central Florida Zoo. Eleven remain.
The Three Losses in Order
Bandit was the first. A three-month-old baby sloth who arrived in critical condition on April 24 as part of a group of 13 animals transferred from Sloth World. He showed some initial signs of improvement before taking a sudden turn for the worse. He died on April 29. The zoo described it as heartbreaking. The team had done everything possible.
Habanero was next. An adult male who initially gave the zoo's team some reason for cautious optimism. He was eating and drinking regularly under close veterinary supervision and appeared to be stabilizing. Then his condition worsened. On May 3, the decision was made to humanely euthanize him. The zoo called the loss gut-wrenching.
Dumpling died on May 5. Dumpling had been part of the group that arrived requiring the highest level of care and spent eleven days in a pattern the zoo described as inconsistent, with periods of stabilization followed by continued complications related to digestion and gastrointestinal function. On Monday morning, Dumpling experienced a sudden decline that progressed quickly despite ongoing treatment. The zoo confirmed the death in a statement that also addressed the biological reality behind these losses directly. Sloths mask signs of illness. When changes come, they can come fast. Their slow metabolisms mean pre-existing issues can take weeks to become visible, which means the full consequences of what these animals experienced before arriving at the zoo may still be unfolding in the eleven survivors still in care.
What Is Being Done for the Remaining Eleven Sloths
As more time passes and the surviving sloths settle into their environment at the Central Florida Zoo, the veterinary team has been able to move forward with more detailed evaluations. These now include blood analysis, body condition assessments, hormonal testing, and additional screenings designed to establish baselines for each animal and identify changes as early as biology allows. Two individuals were noted as being in guarded condition in the update before Dumpling's death. The zoo has maintained that each day with the remaining animals represents a continued commitment to giving them the best possible outcome.
Where the Broader Sloth Situation Stands
The deaths at the Central Florida Zoo are the latest development in a story that began with an FWC inspection report documenting 31 sloth deaths at the International Drive warehouse between December 2024 and February 2025. Those animals died after arriving at a facility without adequate heat, water, or infrastructure. The 13 who were transferred to the zoo were the survivors of that original group. Three of them are now gone.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier confirmed a criminal investigation into Sloth World with a statewide prosecutor and animal welfare law expert assisting the Ninth Circuit State Attorney's Office. PETA has announced a lawsuit. The Sloth Conservation Foundation is pushing to ban wild-caught sloth imports into the United States entirely, and its founder, Dr. Rebecca Cliffe, is preparing to file legal action against Sloth World owner Ben Agresta. The company has filed for bankruptcy. The attraction has never opened.
The Central Florida Zoo is accepting donations to support the ongoing rehabilitation costs for the eleven animals still in their care. Bandit, Habanero, and Dumpling did not make it. The eleven who remain are receiving everything the zoo can give them. Whether that is enough is still being determined one day at a time.
