ClimatePolitics

Mass sloth deaths prompt US bill calling for import ban

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 23/10/2026, 05:09:24 UTC.

Briefings

A U.S. Congress bill was introduced to ban wild sloth imports after 58 of 69 imported sloths died at Sloth World in Florida. The SLOTHS Act would permit limited live imports for AZA-accredited breeding and dead imports for research, with fines up to $100,000 for illegal trade. Two Costa Rican NGOs led the push, analyzing trade records to find over 1,100 sloths imported between 2011-2021, with 100+ per year. Sam Trull noted Sloth World was not the only example of this pattern.

Key points

• A bipartisan U.S. bill was introduced on Oct. 20, 2026, to ban wild sloth imports after 58 of 69 imported sloths died at Sloth World, Florida.
• The SLOTHS Act would allow limited live imports for AZA-accredited breeding and dead imports for research, with fines up to $100,000 for illegal trade.

Context

Two Costa Rican NGOs analyzed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service trade records to find over 1,100 sloths imported to the U.S. between 2011 and 2021, with 100+ per year. Sloth World is the largest example of this pattern, though it is not the only one.

Limitations

Evidence covers only the Oct. 2026 bill and the 2011-2021 trade record analysis. No specific dates for the deaths, names of the NGOs beyond their locations, or details on the AZA accreditation process are provided.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 23/10/2026, 05:10:36 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

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