Disease and cold temperatures killed nearly 30 sloths at an animal import warehouse in Florida in 2024 and 2025, according to a report by state wildlife authorities.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Inspection report issued in August found that 21 sloths imported from Guyana died at an Orlando facility called Sanctuary World Imports in December 2024 when temperatures dropped to the 40 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 to 12.8 degrees Celsius) range.
Sloths are unable to regulate their body temperature like other mammals, and do best in the range of 68 to 85 degrees F (20 to 30 degrees C), according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Peter Bandry, listed as the facility’s license holder in the report, said the animals died from what he called “cold stunning.” He added that the building had no water or electricity and was not ready to receive the animals, but it was too late to cancel the shipment. The facility purchased space heaters but the heaters malfunctioned at the smelter and shut down, leaving the sloth alone without heat for at least one night.
The facility later ordered 10 sloths from Peru, which arrived in February 2025. Two of them were dead on arrival. The rest appeared emaciated and died from what the report described as “poor health problems.” Bandre said he plans to interview a new veterinarian, the third at the facility, according to the state report.
Pandre did not immediately return a message left by The Associated Press at the number listed as Sanctuary World imports in the August report.
According to reports detailing subsequent government inspections in March 2026, Sanctuary World’s president, Benjamin Agresta, said he changed the name to Sloth World Inc. And that Bandri is no longer affiliated with the company. A voicemail and text left by the AP on Sunday at the number mentioned in Sloth World Inc.’s March reports were not returned.
Inspectors reported that inspections conducted in March at the facility where the Guyanese sloths died revealed independent heat and air conditioning with the temperature constantly set at 82 degrees Fahrenheit (27.8 degrees Celsius). They did not notice any problems with the sloths the facility was holding.