A petition to close the Hauppauge Sloth Encounter, where sloths can be fed, petted and cuddled, will be submitted to the Town Board and Supervisors of Islip this afternoon.
Humane Long Island news 12 The video they claim shows owner Larry Wallach, an animal expert in sloth encounters, mishandling wildlife.
Wallach says the video, taken from his Facebook, was manipulated to make it look like he was abusing animals.
news 12 In an encounter with a sloth, Wallach says the animals are well cared for and all permits are in place.
“The door would have been locked if we hadn’t been authorized to operate. ,” says sys Wallach.
However, John DiLeonardo of Humane Long Island disagrees and calls on the town of Islip to close down sloth encounters.
town Owners have said they have until August 29 to respond to issued violations. Otherwise, a court appearance ticket will be issued.