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An exotic animal exhibitor whose sloth-encounters business was ordered closed by New York courts is attempting to relaunch his operations in Florida.
Government inspectors repeatedly found problems at Larry Wallach’s earlier businesses, including unsafe and unsanitary conditions for his sloths, kangaroos, tigers and capybaras. He continued operating his Long Island sloth business for over a year after a 2023 court order to immediately close the location due to zoning violations. The federal government declined to issue him a new wildlife exhibition license in 2024.
“He [Wallach] is someone who has openly defied the law, who has thumbed his nose at the USDA, and they’ve never taken meaningful action,” said Delcianna Winders, director of the Animal Law and Policy Institute at Vermont Law and Graduate School, who has tracked Wallach’s operations for years as part of a coalition of lawyers and animal protection groups.
Wallach told Inside Climate News that USDA inspection reports have been misrepresented by critics, that his animals are well-cared for and that he is applying for a new USDA license and expects to get it. He blames animal rights groups for his regulatory problems.
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