Sloth Encounters' Photo With A Baby Sloth Event On LI Canceled Amid Protest

OLD BETHPAGE, NY — An event by Hauppauge's Sloth Encounters where people would have taken selfies with baby sloths — for a donation of any amount of money — in Old Bethpage was canceled after Humane Long Island President John Di Leonardo says he reached out to the event venue.

The Photo With A Baby Sloth event was scheduled for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, which is International Sloth Day, at the Bethpage Equestrian Center. All proceeds would have gone toward the Rainforest Foundation US to protect and sustain the natural rainforest in South America which sloths are native to, according to Sloth Encounters.

Humane Long Island had organized a protest Thursday for the duration of the event at the center. The protest has since been canceled as well.

"Sloths are sensitive, solitary animals who experience spikes in blood pressure when handled and whose exploitation for 'selfies' is driving the illegal wildlife trade," Di Leonardo stated. "Humane Long Island applauds the Bethpage Equestrian Center for canceling Sloth Encounters' latest attempt to exploit these sensitive baby sloths and continues to urge this cruel business to retire the animals to reputable sanctuaries."

Neither Larry Wallach, an animal specialist at Sloth Encounters or the Bethpage Equestrian Center immediately returned Patch's requests for comment.

Humane Long Island is an animal rights organization that has organized protests against Sloth Encounters prior to the shutdown of its storefront.

Sloth Encounters, a business at 551 Veterans Memorial Highway where people could pay to pet, feed and hold sloths, was ordered to temporarily shut down by the Suffolk County Supreme Court in September.

According to court documents, the Town of Islip's temporary restraining order against the business was granted before Supreme Court Judge Joseph A. Santorelli. The town also filed a permanent injunction to shut it down.

Through an attorney, Sloth Encounters pleaded not guilty to four town code violations on Sept. 14, News 12 Long Island reported.

While the business was ordered to close, Sloth Encounters announced it is bringing the sloths to people's homes instead, according to the Sloth Encounters website.

"Because the court's ruling had NOTHING to do with the health and safety of our sloths and was strictly just a zoning Issue within the town of Islip, SLOTH ENCOUNTERS CAN COME TO YOU!" the business wrote on Instagram. "We had to close our physical doors of our sanctuary to the public but the doors of education are still WIDE OPEN for all of you!"

A judge ruled last week that Sloth Encounters was forbidden from “publicly exhibiting” wild animals at its store or “exhibiting, possessing or harboring” them anywhere that would violate the Town of Islip code, Newsday reported.

Wallach told Newsday the seven sloths are with him and that he has a license issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that is set to expire in 2023. The sloth visits are off-premises and don't have anything to do with the physical storefront, Wallach told Newsday.

Bonnie S. Klapper, a former federal prosecutor, called Sloth Encounters making home visits in the Town of Islip a "blatant violation" of a judge's restraining order against the business. Klapper is a board member of Humane Long Island.

State and local governments have their own animal welfare legislation. Those with licenses must follow all state and local laws, in addition to the federal animal welfare standards, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which licensed Wallach. The Animal Welfare Act does not supersede state and local authorities, and those with licenses must follow the local guidelines.

Dueling petitions have been created around Sloth Encounters, with one advocating for the business and the other pushing for its shutdown.