State Senator Responds To Invite From Sloth Encounters Of Suffolk

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — New York State Sen. Monica Martinez (D — Suffolk County) does not plan to visit Sloth Encounters in Hauppauge after owner Larry Wallach, through his attorney, invited her to the store following her proposed legislation that would ban the sale of exotic animals in New York.

The bill would define exotic animals and would prevent them from being harbored, traded, imported, sold or owned as pets in the same way as wild animals. Wild animals are indigenous and non-domesticated animals native to the country in which they live, while exotic animals hail from a different continent.

The proposed bill unanimously passed the Environmental Conservation Committee with bi-partisan support Monday, Martinez said.

"It is a common-sense measure that will protect the health and safety of both people and animals," Martinez told Patch in a statement.

Exotic animals that would be protected under the law include sloths, kangaroos, hyenas, elephants, wallabies and armadillos.

"The intent of this bill is to protect the health and safety of New Yorkers," Martinez said. "The bill establishes a clear definition of exotic animals and expands the current definition of wild animals."

Wallach advertises the sale of sloths and kangaroos, as well as snakes, lizards, spiders, turtles and frogs, on his website.

Wallach and his attorney, John Zollo of Smithtown, said the bill appears to be targeted at the business, at 551 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge.

Zollo sent a letter Friday to Martinez her to visit Sloth Encounters before she moves her bill forward, as he believes Martinez has only been given "biased and inaccurate information."

"It seems as if a handful of zealots, who have the ear of certain elected officials, are steering the ship," Zollo wrote in a letter obtained by Patch.

Last week, Zollo said, numerous federal, state, county and town officials appeared at Sloth Encounters.

"This certainly is not a coincidence and has created the impression that this is personal, and someone is out to get him," Zollo wrote.

Wallach requested Zollo invite Martinez to the store so the two could give her a tour.

"It is our belief that following your visit, you will agree that banning the sale of non-traditional pets in the State of New York, merely because a certain small group of people do not wish to own such pets, is neither necessary nor reasonable," Zollo said.

Martinez responded Monday.

"As with all legislation, I am willing to sit down with any interested party to discuss questions or concerns," she said. "Visiting a business currently operating as an exotic pet store is unnecessary. This bill will not affect zoos or wildlife sanctuaries."

Zollo said Martinez's decision not to visit Sloth Encounters is a "disservice" to her constituents.

"You would hope that elected officials would want to be as well informed as they could before moving forward on any type of proposed legislation," he said. "It's disappointing. You'd think she would have an hour of her time to come and see the businesses she is trying to shut down not only in Islip, but across the state."

Wallach said Martinez is "so one-sided" about the issue.

"Not a good person to have in office," he said.

The legislation still would need to pass both the state senate and assembly and then be signed by the governor for it to become law. Its passage through the Environmental Conservation Committee was the first step.

"Thanks to Senator Monica Martinez and her colleagues in the Environmental Conservation Committee, sloths, kangaroos, and other clearly wild animals are one step closer to being protected from wildlife trafficking and from being recklessly sold to New Yorkers who are unable to care for their complex needs in a home environment," said John Di Leonardo, an anthrozoologist and executive director of Humane Long Island.

The bill would not ban the sale of all wild and exotic animals — just the ones that should not be with humans daily, Martinez said.

"The temperament and behavior of wild and exotic animals is unpredictable," she said. "These are not animals that should be closely interacting with people on a daily basis. These animals require specific conditions and environments to survive. The habitats in which these animals live in the wild are far from conditions that exist in New York. Any entity or individual in the state of New York operating with the intent of profiting by selling wild and exotic animals as identified in this bill, would be held accountable under the law."

Sloths particularly are tree-dwelling, solitary, tropical wild animals who are mostly deaf and nearly blind in daylight, Di Leonardo said. Sloths have sharp teeth and claws larger than tigers, he added.

Di Leonardo has filed multiple complaints about Sloth Encounters with the United States Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture filed an inspection report, citing Sloth Encounters, stating someone had been "bitten and/or scratched" by a sloth last summer after receiving documentation from the Suffolk County Department of Health.

"Despite their slow reputation, sloths are not slow to bite," Di Leonardo said.

Wallach said bites are a risk with animals.

"Dogs bite, cats bite, anything a pet with a mouth can bite," he said.

Wallach and employees told United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service inspectors that no one had been bit by a sloth in July 2022, which the U.S.D.A said was "false information."

Wallach said Sloth Encounters "never ever had a documented bite."

"But figure this: How is it these people if they were bit how come we are never told?" Wallach said. "Board of health has no documentation of any real bites. So I can say with truth we have never had a bite with the public that we can say ever happened."

Zollo previously said the state should focus more on training people to handle exotic animals as pets.

Sloth Encounters allowed people to pay to pet, feed and hold sloths. The store was ordered by the Suffolk County Supreme Court in late March to "immediately cease any operations that are a violation of the Town of Islip Code."

Pet sloths are currently legal in New York. Zollo in late March said Sloth Encounters is not in violation of the town code and that Wallach runs a pet store, not a petting zoo.

Zollo, in his letter to Martinez, wrote that her constituents are more than the "zealots" who object to the sale of "non-traditional pets," saying there are thousands of constituents who advocate for the sales.

"It is my belief that prior to sponsoring this legislation, a meeting with my client would be beneficial to all parties," Zollo said. "It is critical that you take the time to visit his store to become better informed about the nature of his business, as well as, those other entrepreneurs engaged in the business of selling legal, non-traditional pets in New York State. In taking the time to look at both sides of the issue, your constituents would be better served."

A judge ruled in September 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.

In September, Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter told Patch the town would prosecute the case to "ensure that no business operates illegally in the Town of Islip."

Then in November, Suffolk County proposed a bill that would restrict the use of exotic animals in traveling performances.

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.