ORLANDO, Fla. – Another of the sloths from Sloth World has died.
The Central Florida Zoo in Sanford announced that Willow, one of 14 sloths that arrived at the zoo in April, had to be put to sleep.
“Over the past several days, Willow’s health declined despite ongoing veterinary treatment and intensive supportive care. After closely monitoring her condition, Zoo veterinarians made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize Willow to prevent further suffering,” the zoo announced Tuesday in a news release.
Willow and the other sloths were all imported into the United States for Sloth World, a planned attraction on International Drive in Orlando.
[WATCH: Florida to temporarily stop sloth importation in wake of Sloth World deaths]
However, that attraction was abandoned after dozens of sloths that were imported over a two-year period died for various reasons.
Central Florida Zoo veterinarians told News 6’s Jayna Manohalal that the 14 sloths that were placed in their care arrived in various stages of malnutrition.
In the past two months, six of those sloths have died.
The remaining eight sloths are still undergoing treatment and remain in quarantine. Their names are Chewy, Dolce, Phantom, Blackberry, Hazel, Leeloo, Mojo Jojo and Pearl.
You can learn more about the sloths and how to help them on the Central Florida Zoo website.
Meanwhile, the Orange-Osceola state attorney’s office is looking into whether charges can be brought against the people behind Sloth World.
[WATCH: Florida looking into criminal investigation for Orlando Sloth World deaths]
Florida wildlife officials are also looking at rule changes to prevent similar deaths in the future.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, who represents House District 42, has been one of the most prominent voices calling for change. She said the scale of the deaths exposed a regulatory system that was unable to detect serious welfare problems until it was too late.
Eskamani and the Sloth Protection Alliance — a collaboration between the Sloth Conservation Foundation and The Sloth Institute — have formally submitted a five-point reform package to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Under Florida’s current system, sloths are classified as Class III wildlife, a framework that does not require demonstrated expertise in sloth care before acquisition, does not mandate pre-acquisition facility inspections and does not require mortality reporting.
“These are sloths that were stolen from the wild and were happily munching on leaves in the rainforest before they were stolen for human entertainment here in Orlando, Florida,” Eskamani said.
The proposed reforms call for a permanent ban on the importation of wild-caught sloths, with narrow exceptions only for facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums or equivalent institutions. They also call for a specialized regulatory category for sloths, mandatory mortality and transfer reporting, a prohibition on direct-contact sloth encounter experiences and the closure of a “captive-bred” loophole that allows offspring of wild-caught animals to be sold while obscuring their true origin.
“98% of sloths that come to the United States are caught from the wild and enter through the Port of Miami,” Eskamani said. “So when Florida takes a leadership role in preventing sloths from being stolen and imported and sold for profit, it will impact the entire country.
Despite the urgency, the timeline for enacting new rules remains frustratingly slow.
“Unfortunately, government always moves slow, but we are pushing aggressively for strong outcomes,” Eskamani said. “The Florida Wildlife Commission has engaged with us in good faith on developing new rules. And we sent them a white paper, recommendations, policy changes as pertains to sloths. But the next FWC meeting would be in August. And then the one where we potentially would vote on changes would be in December. So that timeline is unfortunately slow, but it does create the opportunity for the required public comment feedback we need to pass new rules.”
Eskamani said advocates are scheduled to meet with FWC staff later this month to continue pushing for long-term policy change.
The Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office is also looking into whether charges can be brought against those behind Sloth World. Eskamani said she proactively contacted the Attorney General’s Office the morning of Willow’s death — before learning of the sloth’s passing — to check on the status of the criminal investigation.
“They were not able to share with us anything public yet, but did tell us that the case is ongoing and that they are exploring all avenues, including even felony charges,” Eskamani said.
Eskamani also warned that efforts are underway to open a similar sloth encounter concept in Broward County — and that she and other advocates are pushing back.
Eskamani said preventing another Sloth World from opening anywhere in Florida remains a top priority as she ends her term in the legislature this November.