ORLANDO, FLA. — A second sloth transferred to the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens for rehabilitation has died, the zoo announced. Habanero, an adult male sloth, was euthanized on Saturday to prevent further suffering after his condition worsened.

Habanero was among a dozen sloths given up by Sloth World, a yet-to-open tourist attraction planned for Orlando's tourism district, and brought to the zoo for rehabilitation. Another of the transferred sloths, Bandit, died the previous week.

The zoo said in a statement that when the sloths arrived, all were underweight and were being treated for gastrointestinal issues, requiring intensive, specialized care. The zoo described Habanero's decline in a separate statement: "Habanero initially showed encouraging signs of stabilization, including eating and drinking regularly under the close supervision of the zoo's veterinary and animal care teams. In recent days, however, his condition worsened."

State and local authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into the treatment of sloths under Sloth World's care. Inspection reports by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission documented 31 sloth deaths between December 2024 and February 2025.

The tourist attraction ordered ten sloths from Peru, which arrived in February 2025. Two of those sloths were dead on arrival, and the remaining animals from the shipment appeared emaciated and died of what the report termed "poor health issues." Sloths cannot regulate their body temperature as well as other mammals and do best in temperatures between 68 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.