{"id":229,"date":"2026-05-16T07:04:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T07:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=229"},"modified":"2026-05-16T07:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T07:04:14","slug":"child-bitten-by-sloth-at-nc-safari-park-usda-inspection-report-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=229","title":{"rendered":"Child bitten by sloth at NC safari park, USDA inspection report says"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

The U.S. Department of Agriculture called for enforced barriers between animals and guests at a Harnett County zoo after a sloth bit a child on the face, according to an inspection report filed last month.<\/p>\n

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According to the USDA report on April 8, Aloha Safari Park in Cameron was hosting a public interaction event with the sloths when an attendant placed the sloth into the child\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n

The facility allows for these kinds of interactions with the sloths, the report stated, but guests are advised to keep their faces away from the animals.<\/p>\n

A manager told the USDA that the attendant was answering a question from the parent when the child leaned in to kiss or hug the sloth. The sloth bit the child on the face, leaving a small wound on her chin, the report states.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear when exactly the incident occurred or how old the child was.<\/p>\n

The USDA wrote in the report \u2014 which was conducted as part of a routine inspection \u2014 that Aloha Safari Park failed to provide appropriate distance or a barrier between the public and the sloth to protect the public in the incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring public exhibition, any animal must be handled so there is minimal risk of harm to the animal and to the public, with sufficient distance and\/or barriers between the animal and the general viewing public so as to assure the safety of animals and the public,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n

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The USDA set a deadline of April 20 to \u201ccorrect\u201d the incident, the report states.<\/p>\n

Aloha Safari Park declined to comment on Friday. According to the report, the facility has discontinued \u201cpublic interactions with the sloth\u201d and the sloth has been placed in quarantine.<\/p>\n

The zoo, located off N.C. 87 near Fayetteville, is a 66-acre home to hundreds of species of animals. The park offers walk-around exhibits and drive-through sections of the park showcasing animals such as giraffes, spider monkeys, lemurs and alligators.<\/p>\n

The zoo also currently offers animal feeding, according to their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 12:53 PM<\/span> with the headline “Child bitten by sloth at NC safari park, USDA inspection report says.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more NC high school baseball coach collapses before team\u2019s playoff game. What we know<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

USDA inspection says Aloha Safari Park failed to provide barriers during a sloth interaction after a child suffered a small facial wound in Cameron, NC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nChild bitten by sloth at NC safari park, USDA inspection report says - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=229\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Child bitten by sloth at NC safari park, USDA inspection report says - 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