Two male sloths at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens are making good progress and out of intensive care.
They arrived at the zoo in poor condition on April 24, along with 11 other sloths, from a warehouse for Sloth World, an attraction previously planned for Orlando’s International Drive. At least 56 animals tied to that now-canceled attraction are known to have died.
Four of the sloths that came to the zoo were in especially critical condition and have since died: most recently, Mr. Ginger, a young sloth estimated to only be several months old.
RELATED: Young sloth from Sloth World dies, leaving nine at zoo
Now, though, two of the nine remaining sloths are officially out of intensive care, after making good progress.
Over the past week, the two male sloths — Dolce and Chewie — haven’t needed any veterinary intervention, like additional fluids, according to zoo CEO Richard Glover. Both animals are eating normally, having normal or “close to normal” bowel movements, and are in what’s considered to be normal body condition.
The animals are doing leaps and bounds better now than when they first came to the zoo, three weeks ago, with diarrhea, mineral deficiencies and other issues, like dehydration.
“Sloths have incredibly slow metabolisms, so they're very slow to digest and then eventually expel anything from their body. So it takes a lot of time, if they have a problem in their digestive system, to try to correct it,” Glover said in an interview earlier this month.
Biopsy analyses have confirmed emaciation as the cause of death for three of the four sloths that died after arriving at the zoo. The zoo’s lead veterinarian, James Bogan, likens prolonged emaciation to having “poor fat reserves.” Some still-pending tests could potentially reveal whether any toxins or infectious diseases were present in those sloths.
Seeing two of the sloths become healthy enough to no longer need intensive care is a welcome boost of positivity for the zoo’s animal care teams, Glover said. “It definitely helps to feel like we're on a better trajectory now, and everyone's feeling a little more hopeful.”
All nine sloths will still remain in quarantine for about another week, to limit the risk of any disease spreading and to ensure the animals remain in stable condition. Glover said none are completely out of the woods yet, including Chewie and Dolce.
“There's still the possibility that, at some point, they could take a bad turn,” Glover said. “But … for over a week, they're showing all the right signs, including behaviorally: they're bright, they're moving around, all the things you want to see. And we're hoping we can move a few of the other ones to that within the next few days.”
Glover said his hope is that, by the end of the week, at least six of the nine sloths will be out of intensive care and in a “pretty stable” place. The zoo’s animal care teams will continue to focus on providing the best care possible for all nine of them.
“We knew when we started this [that] we were taking on a really difficult situation. And we knew that the possibility was that there might not be any good news at any point,” Glover said. “So we're going to take the small victories, and we're going to keep moving forward.”
The zoo, a nonprofit organization accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, has been seeking donations to help with the costs of veterinary care for the sloths. It has also partnered with Sanford Main Street, which is selling some sloth-related merchandise to benefit the zoo, including a $35 sloth T-shirt.
So far, as of last week, Glover said the shirts have been shipped out to 48 U.S. states, raising some $30,000 for the zoo so far.
RELATED: Florida temporarily halts import of sloths into state, following animal deaths
A temporary ban on sloth imports into the state of Florida was enacted last week and will remain in place through July 10. In the meantime, lawmakers and sloth scientists are working to advocate for more lasting change to existing animal welfare protections.
