More than 55 sloths linked to Sloth World Orlando have now died. The tragedy in Orlando did not happen overnight, and it was not an isolated incident. It exposed a much larger problem: the international trade and commercial exploitation of sloths in the United States.

Sloths are highly specialized wild animals that evolved to live hidden in rainforest canopies, in stable environments with specific diets, low stress, and minimal disturbance. They are extremely sensitive to stress, handling, transport, artificial environments, and constant human interaction.

Yet despite this, sloths continue to be taken from the wild and imported into the United States for use in tourist attractions, encounter experiences, and private ownership. Between 2021 and 2024 alone, more than 1,150 sloths were imported into the United States. Experts estimate that 80–90% of sloths die during the process of capture and trafficking, often before they even reach their final destination.

The deaths and suffering linked to Sloth World Orlando highlighted serious gaps in current laws and regulations surrounding the importation, classification, and commercial use of sloths in the United States.

We believe this must change.

Through the Sloth Protection Alliance, The Sloth Conservation Foundation and The Sloth Institute are calling for:

• A ban on the import of wild-caught sloths into the United States
• A review of how sloths are currently classified and regulated under US law
• Stronger welfare regulations for sloth encounters, including an end to direct-contact experiences that allow petting and holding. 

We are not calling for an end to responsible educational facilities or professionally managed zoological care. We are calling for an end to the removal of wild sloths from their rainforest homes to supply the commercial trade in the United States. Wild sloths should not be captured, trafficked, shipped across the world, and forced into lives of handling, display, and commercial exploitation for human entertainment.

The suffering and deaths linked to Sloth World exposed the devastating consequences of treating wild sloths as commodities instead of the highly specialized, sensitive wild animals they are. We believe it is time for laws to reflect that reality.

Please sign this petition and help us push for policy change.

About the Coalition

The Coalition brings together leading sloth conservation organizations with complementary expertise in research, conservation, and welfare of sloths.

The Sloth Conservation Foundation (SloCo) is internationally recognized for its long-term research on wild sloth populations and its conservation initiatives in Costa Rica. Through field-based science, habitat restoration, and landscape connectivity projects, SloCo has developed a deep understanding of sloth ecology, behavior, and the challenges these species face in rapidly changing environments.

The Sloth Institute (TSI) is a leading authority on sloth care, rehabilitation, and release. With over a decade of experience, it advances sloth conservation through rewilding and release, habitat restoration, injury prevention, and research that expands global scientific understanding of sloths. Its work has been instrumental in developing and refining protocols for the successful rehabilitation and reintroduction of sloths into the wild, as well as advancing best practices in sloth husbandry.

Together, these organizations provide a unique combination of field-based scientific expertise and applied welfare knowledge. This integrated perspective allows the Coalition to assess both the ecological realities and the biological limitations of sloths, and to inform policy with evidence grounded in real-world experience.

VISION STATEMENT

Creating a United States where wildlife policy reflects scientific knowledge and ethical responsibility, and where sloths are no longer imported or used in commercial settings that compromise their welfare.

MISSION STATEMENT

To end the import and commercial exploitation of sloths in the United States by advancing evidence-based policy, supporting regulatory reform, and engaging directly with lawmakers, agencies, and the public to ensure that sloth welfare is protected through enforceable legislation.

An alliance committed to dismantling the commercial sloth trade by advancing laws, strengthening regulations, and exposing cruelty to safeguard sloths from commercial exploitation while championing ethical conservation solutions, globally.