Help Us End the Commercial Sloth Trade in the United States | Sign The Petition
What began as an investigation into the horrific roadside attraction known as Sloth World Orlando is now turning into the biggest opportunity we have ever had to end the commercial sloth trade in the United States.
In May, SloCo’s founder and Executive Director, Dr. Rebecca Cliffe, traveled to Orlando alongside Sam Trull from The Sloth Institute to meet with local authorities, policymakers, and wildlife officials regarding the Sloth World tragedy. Together, we have been pushing for criminal accountability, stronger protections for captive sloths, and permanent policy changes to ensure this never happens again.
Just a few days later, Florida announced a temporary halt on sloth imports into the state - which is a massive step forward considering that approximately 98% of sloth imports into the United States enter through Florida.
But despite this important progress, the work is far from over. Our goals remain very clear:
• A permanent nationwide ban on the importation of sloths into the United States
• An end to hands-on sloth encounters
• A review of how sloths are currently classified and regulated under US law
• Criminal accountability for those responsible for the suffering and deaths at Sloth World
We will not stop until this happens. Together with The Sloth Institute, we have officially joined forces to create the Sloth Protection Alliance: a collaborative effort dedicated to ending the commercial sloth trade once and for all.
This week, we also launched a petition to demonstrate public support for these legislative changes. If you are able to take a moment to sign it, we would be incredibly grateful.
We also need to ask for your help again. Since we first began investigating Sloth World Orlando back in December, we have poured hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars into this effort because we realized that this may be the single biggest opportunity we will ever have to finally end the commercial sloth trade for good. But the reality is that we were never financially prepared to be at the centre of something of this scale. Like most conservation nonprofits, we were already operating at full capacity protecting sloths in the wild. Since January, this work has rapidly expanded to include:
• Legal consultations
• Policy development
• Travel to meet with lawmakers and wildlife agencies
• Public records requests and investigative work
• Sequencing the genomes of the surviving sloths to identify where they were captured from in the wild
Together, we have launched a campaign to raise $30,000 to support the next phase of this work. Every dollar raised through this fundraiser will go towards supporting the ongoing efforts of our organisations as we push this work forward. The sloths that suffered and died at Sloth World cannot be saved, but we can make sure they become the reason this never happens again.
Please help us end the commercial sloth trade in the United States once and for all.
Sloth Alliance Protection:
About the Sloth Conservation Foundation
The Sloth Conservation Foundation (SloCo) is a non-profit organization based in Costa Rica working to protect sloths through scientific research, habitat restoration, community programs, and policy advocacy. SloCo collaborates with universities, governments, Indigenous groups, and international partners to safeguard sloths across their natural range.
About The Sloth Institute
The Sloth Institute (TSI) is a licensed non-profit organization based in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. TSI advances sloth conservation and welfare through rescue, rehabilitation, research, and education, while leading innovative conservation initiatives, including strategic reforestation and habitat connectivity programs. TSI collaborates with governments, accredited wildlife institutions, universities, and conservation professionals to protect sloths and their habitats worldwide.
Media Contacts:
SloCo: Dr. Rebecca Cliffe, contact@slothconservation.org, www.slothconservation.org
TSI: Sam Trull, sam@theslothinstitute.org, www.theslothinstitute.org
Read More:
For background and context, read our full blog on Sloth World Orlando here.
Press Release January 21 | Sloth Conservation Organizations Warn Against U.S. Attraction Sourcing Wild-Caught Sloths for Commercial Entertainment
Press Release April 24 | Sloth World Orlando to Close After 31 Sloth Deaths; Survivors Transferred to AZA Care
Press Conference May 6 | Scientists and conservation organizations call for action on the commercial sloth trade in the United States
Press Release May 13 | Florida Announces Temporary Halt on Sloth Imports Following Sloth World Orlando Investigation, With Nationwide Implications