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An animal import warehouse in Orlando, Florida, operated under the name Sanctuary World Imports, was the scene of the death of nearly 30 wild sloths between December 2024 and February 2025, according to an inspection report from Florida's state wildlife authorities published by AP.
The report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, prepared in August 2025, determined that 21 sloths imported from Guyana died in December 2024 when the temperatures in the storage facility dropped to a range of 4.4 to 12.8 degrees Celsius.
Sloths are unable to regulate their body temperature as efficiently as other mammals and need an environment of between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius to survive, according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Peter Bandre identified as the holder of the installation license, acknowledged 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 acquired portable heaters as an emergency solution, but these blew a fuse and turned off, leaving the residents without heat for at least one night.
Bandre described the deaths as "cold shock," a term he used to explain the physiological collapse of the animals in response to low temperatures.
The same company later ordered 10 additional sloths from Peru, which arrived in February 2025. Two arrived dead. The remaining eight appeared emaciated and died from what the state report termed "poor health issues."
Among the cases documented in the necropsy reports is that of Kiwi, a nine-month-old baby sloth who showed swelling but weighed less than three pounds at the time of his death.
Bandre indicated that he planned to hire a new veterinarian, the third for the facility, according to the state report.
A representative of the company attributed the deaths to "the intense physiological stress of international transport, dietary changes, and capture in the wild, which very likely suppressed their immune systems."
Despite documenting serious irregularities, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission did not impose fines or legal citations, concluding that there was no intentional wrongdoing, which has drawn criticism from animal protection organizations.
In follow-up inspections conducted in March 2026, Benjamin Agresta, president of the company, informed the inspectors that the business had changed its name to Sloth World Inc. and that Bandre was no longer associated with the operation.
The inspections in March confirmed that the facility where the Guyanese sloths died had independent heating and air conditioning, maintaining a constant temperature of 27.8 degrees Celsius, with inspectors noting no issues with the animals housed there at that time.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stated that it is "working with Sloth World to investigate and diagnose the ongoing issues at the facility," while government permit records indicate that the company acquired at least 38 additional wild sloths beyond the 31 that died under its care.
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