Florida Proposes Stricter Sloth Protection Rules Following Numerous Deaths at Tourism Attraction
Florida's wildlife agency has introduced new regulations aimed at enhancing protections for sloths imported into the state. This action comes four months after an investigation by Inside Climate News revealed that dozens of wild sloths died at a planned tourism attraction in Orlando. The proposed rules would require individuals and businesses seeking permits for exotic animals, specifically sloths, to demonstrate sloth-specific experience. Currently, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission mandates a specialized wildlife permit for owning, selling, or displaying exotic animals. The impetus for these changes stems from the deaths of over 50 sloths at 'Sloth World,' a facility that imported 21 sloths from Guyana and 10 from Peru, all of which subsequently died. State records indicate that the business continued to import sloths, most of which perished before the attraction closed. Necropsy reports attributed these deaths to diseases and severe physiological distress caused by capture from the w...
