Bandit, one of 13 sloths brought to the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in Sanford last Friday, had to be euthanized on Wednesday.
It's yet another animal death associated with the Sloth World attraction previously planned for International Drive in Orlando. At least 32 sloths -- and possibly many more -- that were sent to Orlando for the attraction have died.
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The animal deaths tied to Sloth World came to light in an investigative article published earlier this month by Inside Climate News, which cited reports from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, wants a criminal investigation into Sloth World's operators in Central Florida.
'Potential violations of Florida law'
On Wednesday, Eskamani sent a formal request to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier asking for a criminal probe. She wrote that FWC's incident reports raised "serious concerns regarding potential violations of Florida law," specifically statutes on animal cruelty and the treatment of captive wildlife.
"The loss of dozens of animals under preventable conditions demands accountability," she wrote. "These reports raise not only questions of individual responsibility, but also broader concerns about regulatory oversight and enforcement."
Central Florida Public Media attempted to reach Sloth World President Benjamin Agresta for comment, but without success.
Bandit 'fought as long as he could'
Despite the Central Florida Zoo's best efforts and constant care, the young male sloth's condition was "too severe to overcome," according to a news release.
The two-toed sloth -- believed to be between 1 and 2 years old -- had been in critical condition since his arrival. He suffered from severe lethargy, dehydration, nutritional and electrolyte imbalances, and gastrointestinal complications, according to the zoo.
He was too weak to climb like sloths love to do.
Speaking with Central Florida Public Media on Wednesday afternoon, Central Florida Zoo CEO Richard Glover said Bandit -- who came to them with that name -- was the most critical of the 13. He said his team did everything they could.
"He'd fought as long as he could fight, and he just didn't have anything left," Glover said. "And by a little before midday, he'd reached a point where he just was essentially non-responsive."
When it was clear the young sloth wouldn't recover, he was euthanized.
Glover said the zoo and sloths have received a lot of support -- via social media, emails and private messages, as well as donations -- from members of the public.
"And so it's really heartening," he added, "and it's helpful for the team, because days like today are really hard, and unfortunately, you know, it's not like when you lose a pet and you've got time to mourn. We've got 12 others that need us constantly right now. We can't slow down."
The other 12 from a Sloth World warehouse in Orange County remain in 30-day quarantine, which could be extended for some of them.
When they came in, Glover said, the sloths' nutrition "wasn't quite where it needed to be." And turning that around will take a while. They're delicate animals, he said, "and their GI tracts are very tricky, and they digest things incredibly slowly."
Glover said he wants everyone to understand that, "at this point, none of them came in healthy. They all have serious issues. They are stable from the standpoint of we don't think that something's going to happen to them immediately. But the best I can say we are is cautiously optimistic with all of them."
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