CHEWIE THE SLOTH PHOTO VIA CENTRAL FLORIDA ZOO
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has concluded its own investigation into the deaths of dozens of sloths tied to the now-closed Sloth World attraction, finding no evidence of criminal neglect or intentional harm under current Florida law, according to a report released this week.
The 44-page investigative report, case number 26-026517, was led by Detective Aaron Bennett of the Agricultural Crimes Unit and reviewed Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission inspection records, veterinary and diagnostic findings, and more than 20 interviews conducted between May and July. The case was referred to the State Attorney’s Office and closed August 18.
According to the report, the investigation found that “the mortality event involving the transported two-toed and three-toed sloths was the result of multiple contributing factors affecting the overall health and survivability of the animals” rather than a criminal act. Investigators found no evidence of “intentional harm, abuse, criminal neglect, failure to provide necessary care, or any deliberate act or omission by facility personnel” that met the standard required under Florida statute.
Sloth World was founded by Benjamin Agresta after he purchased a pet sloth from Peter Bandre, who later became the company’s vice president and head importer. The attraction, originally planned as a cruise excursion in the U.S. Virgin Islands, relocated to Orlando after import permits were denied there. Two quarantine facilities and a planned exhibit space operated on International Drive beginning in mid-2025.
FWC inspection records cited in the report document a steep decline in the sloth population over several months. A December 2024 shipment from Guyana arrived before the facility had electrical service or heating, resulting in what Bandre described as a “cold stun” event. A subsequent shipment from Peru arrived in poor condition, with some animals dead on arrival. By April 2026, the facility’s population had fallen from 26 documented sloths in March to 13 living animals, with three more found dead in a freezer awaiting disposition.
The remaining sloths were transferred to the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens on April 24, 2026. Zoo veterinarian Dr. James Bogan stated in a sworn statement that most arrived in poor condition, several with liquid diarrhea, and four died shortly after arrival. Necropsies found the animals were emaciated.
Dr. Adam Stern, a veterinary forensic pathologist at the University of Florida, reviewed necropsy findings and concluded the sloths were affected by a widespread infectious disease process, most likely viral, compounded by stress-related immune suppression tied to transportation, housing conditions, and husbandry factors. Diagnostic testing identified several viruses, including sloth Gamma Herpes Virus and Changuinola Virus. Dr. John Roberts, head pathologist at the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, also identified copper deficiency across tested animals and severe gastrointestinal dysfunction, including grossly enlarged stomachs, as a major contributing factor. Asked whether his findings showed evidence of inadequate care, Roberts said, “I wouldn’t, no, I can’t say that. No, I mean, it’s the opposite. The food was killing them.”
Debra Dial, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums species survival plan coordinator for sloths, reviewed the case and told investigators she did not believe the deaths were primarily caused by viral disease, citing the speed and consistency of the animals’ decline across different import groups. She said she did not understand why FWC continued permitting Sloth World to import additional sloths after losing so many.
Bandre, interviewed in July, denied ever observing abuse or neglect and said Sloth World followed veterinary recommendations “100 percent.” Agresta and his fiancée, Courtney Massam, also denied any intentional mistreatment of the animals in their interview with investigators.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, who had pushed for accountability in the case, responded to the report’s conclusion by thanking investigators while calling for the underlying law to change.
“I want to thank the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for the rigor they brought to this investigation and for taking our concerns and the community’s concerns so seriously,” Eskamani said in a statement. “Over more than three months, their detectives reviewed facility records, veterinary and diagnostic documentation, and inspection histories, and conducted more than twenty interviews with state and national experts. They did their job thoroughly and professionally, and under current law, I accept the conclusion they reached.”
Eskamani said the case exposes a gap in state law rather than a failure of the investigation itself.
“That is why we need to change the law and rules governing captive wildlife in Florida,” she said. “Dozens of sloths were captured, shipped across the world, and died, and under Florida law as it exists today, no one is held accountable. That is not a failure of the investigators. It is a failure of our statutes and our rules. When a facility can be in full compliance with every applicable state standard and animals still die by the dozens, the standards themselves are the problem. Compliance is not the same as care.”
Eskamani said she plans to work with state lawmakers, FWC and wildlife and veterinary experts to strengthen Florida’s rules on the importation, permitting and housing of exotic and highly specialized species.
“No animal should be brought into our state to suffer and die because our laws were too weak to stop it,” she said. “I am grateful to every Central Floridian who refused to let this go. Your voices are why this case was investigated at all, and they are why the law and rules will change.”
