Business & Tech
Closing Soon: Pet Safari Finds New Home for Sloths
Pet Safari, a longtime Dunedin pet shop on Main Street, is closing its doors.
A longtime Main Street pet store known for its exotic sloths is soon closing its doors.
Some longtime patrons of the 28-year-old pet shop have shed tears at the news, George Talmadge, store manager, says.
Pet Safari, 1749 Main St., nationally known for its reproducing family of two-toed sloths, is emptying is shelves, selling many items at half price — right down to the animal posters in the window.
The store, which is tucked inside an increasingly vacant strip mall including former neighbors Sweetbay Supermarket and American Running Company (relocated near Sea Dog Brewing Co., in Clearwater), is preparing to close, along with neighbor Hin Lee Chinese Restaurant. Talmadge said the owner of the property, a bank, recently assumed control and is not as flexible as the former landlord, thus owner Larry Lipke is making a financial decision to end the business.
Lipke does not have plans to open at another location, Talmadge said Tuesday afternoon.
The three famed sloths — females Blondie and Baby, and male Scarface — were sold to a zoo in Branson, MO, Talmadge said.
Lipke was able to breed the sloths in captivity at Pet Safari, a feat considered rare among zoo officials. Pet Safari sloths produced at least four offspring in recent years.
One sloth baby even appeared on famed anchor Anderson Cooper's daytime talk show, "Anderson," in 2011.
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