Revealed: Sloths Abused and Neglected at New York Roadside Zoo

THINK

Jan 10

Animal advocates are urging the U.S. Congress to pass the Better CARE for Animals Act after the alarming findings.

Sloths are being abused, neglected, and mistreated at a roadside zoo in New York, according to a new undercover investigation into the facility, which sells interactions with sloths and other wild animals.

An investigator from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) visited Sloth Encounters on Nov 4, 2023. The resulting footage exposed multiple animal welfare violations occurring at the venue, including staff members hitting sloths, sloths kept in overcrowded and stressful conditions, and instances of sloths engaging in fights with each other.

“Our investigator documented how deplorable this operation is and the extent of abuse for profit,” said Brian Shapiro, New York state director for the HSUS. “Sloths are shy, nocturnal, tree-dwelling animals uniquely unsuited for public interactions, yet they are being subjected to stressful handling by strangers almost daily. This is a sloth’s worst nightmare.”

Located in Hauppauge, Sloth Encounters is owned by Larry Wallach, who previously exhibited animals at his home and other locations. He has a lengthy track record of federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations, according to HSUS. Between 2010 and 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cited Wallach for 28 AWA violations. In 2013, his license was suspended for six months for the unsafe handling and mistreatment of young tigers.

In 2023, the New York Supreme Court ordered Wallach to cease exhibiting animals. Despite this, Wallach continued to offer these sloth encounters to the public. He was found in civil contempt by the court in July 2023 for not complying with the order.

“The owner of this appalling facility shows no regard for the health and wellbeing of animals or public safety,” said Shapiro. “His numerous animal welfare violations warrant shutting this place down and never allowing him to have animals in his care.”

Suffering of Sloths

The HSUS investigator witnessed sloths kept in an overcrowded enclosure, conditions which likely sparked a fight between two sloths that broke out on branches above the crowd of customers.

A staff member hit the fighting sloths with a spray bottle repeatedly before one animal fell to the floor, nearly falling on a customer holding a third sloth. One sloth was injured, but the operator let the public encounter continue and then grabbed the injured sloth roughly by the head and neck while the animal tried to fight off his grasp, according to HSUS.

The investigator also documented the owner of Sloth Encounters encouraging customers holding sloths to drop their arms, leaving sloths to dangle unsupported while clinging to customers as they walked around the enclosure, wrote HSUS.

Jay Pratte, an animal behavior and welfare expert, viewed the footage and provided a statement on the conditions at the facility, noting, “Repeated exposure to overpopulated conditions, conflict with other animals and an inability to evade contact or conflict with humans or other animals, are all factors likely contributing to chronic psychological distress.”

The findings of the investigation have been reported to the USDA and HSUS is calling on the agency to terminate Wallach’s AWA license and investigate Sloth Encounters for alleged violations.

HSUS is also urging the U.S. Congress to pass the Better CARE for Animals Act, which will provide the Department Of Justice with stronger ways to "effectively enforce the law and rescue suffering animals."

John Di Leonardo, an anthrozoologist and executive director of Humane Long Island, said Sloth Encounters "subjects vulnerable baby animals to grabbing hands, noisy crowds, and ramshackle cages" inside a store that was zoned for pool supplies.

"Wallach’s reign of terror on animals ranging from sloths and tiger cubs to kangaroos and capybaras has been going on for decades," said Di Leonardo. "Authorities need to stop moving at a sloth’s place and shut down this heartless operation once and for all."

Widespread Issue

Nearly 130 facilities across the United States offer close-up encounters with sloths, according to HSUS. Federal data indicates that on average, 140 sloths are captured from the wild and imported into the U.S. annually to meet the demand for captive sloths. This trend also extends beyond sloths, with around 200 US facilities confining animals such as sloths, lemurs, otters, kangaroos, and wallabies for wildlife photos and selfies.

What Can You Do?

HSUS is urging animal lovers to take a moment to call their two U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative. You can find their contact information here. You can say, “As your constituent, I urge you to cosponsor the Better CARE for Animals Act, which will strengthen AWA enforcement. We must do more to end the unnecessary suffering of animals and act to save their lives before it is too late.”

You can also sign HSUS’s urgent petition advocating for The Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act.

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