PETA Statement re Florida’s New Sloth Import Requirements
For Immediate Release:
June 23, 2026
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Following the deaths of reportedly 57 sloths linked to the now-defunct Sloth World Orlando—many of whom perished in an unheated warehouse within days of arriving from Guyana—the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has changed the type of import permit required for sloths, which will give the agency authority to deny permits before sloths arrive.
The change follows PETA’s complaint to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement calling for a cruelty investigation into Sloth World co-owners Peter Bandre and Benjamin Agresta—and comes as notorious wild animal exploiter Larry Wallach attempts to open a similar sloth-encounter operation in Florida. Below, please find a statement from PETA Foundation Director of Captive Wildlife Advocacy Klayton Rutherford:
“Florida’s action on sloth imports is a step in the right direction, but permit changes will do little to prevent sloths from suffering if bad actors aren’t held accountable. Sloth World’s owners have yet to face criminal charges for the mass deaths and suffering caused by their incompetence and greed, and now serial animal exploiter Larry Wallach plans to force sloths into public encounters in his new Florida venture, despite not having the required federal exhibitor’s license and a lengthy history of federal animal-welfare violations. Sloths will stay in danger as long as roadside attractions are thrusting them into selfie-seekers’ hands, and PETA urges everyone to stay away from any facility that forces wild animals into public encounters.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a sloth is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
