SANFORD, Fla. — Dumpling, a sloth that arrived at the Central Florida Zoo in critical condition on April 24, has passed away. The sloth died Monday morning after struggling with digestion and gastrointestinal issues for 11 days, zoo officials announced Tuesday.
The facility reported a sudden and rapid downturn in Dumpling’s condition, despite a period of ups and downs since arrival.
“This has been an incredibly difficult week for our team, as everyone involved in caring for these animals can attest. As previously stated, sloths have a tendency to hide any signs of extreme illness until it is often too late for reversal, at which point, their condition can decline very rapidly and without advance warning,” Central Florida Zoo posted on its Facebook page.
Additionally, sloths possess extremely slow metabolisms, meaning that any pre-existing health issues can take many weeks to manifest, the zoo said.
Two other sloths taken to the zoo for rehabilitation have recently died. They were part of a group of more than a dozen sloths given up by “Sloth World” in Orlando. The would-be attraction is facing scrutiny for the deaths of more than 30 other sloths imported from Guyana and Peru.
Habanero, an adult male, was euthanized May 2 to prevent further suffering, zoo officials said.
A sloth named Bandit died last week after being transferred to the zoo.
“Dumpling’s death reflects that this is a day by day situation here for the remaining sloths in our care. Thank you for your continued support,” zoo officials added.
The Central Florida Zoo continues to provide care for other sloths from the same group that arrived with Dumpling.
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