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Credit: Isabelle Puaut, FlickrThe Mayor of Miami-Dade County has taken the first steps to closing down infamous Florida theme park Miami Seaquarium.
Until 2023, Miami Seaquarium was the only non-SeaWorld theme park in the U.S. with a captive killer whale. Last year, however, the park made headlines after announcing plans to release Lolita (AKA Tokitae) back into the wild, only for the orca to sadly pass away due to “old age and multiple chronic illnesses” in August.
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However, the headlines generated by Lolita’s near-freedom only briefly drowned out years worth of negative stories about Miami Seaquarium. Open since 1955, the park – which is home to dolphins, sharks, rays, penguins, seals, and other marine animals – has repeatedly been criticized for the quality of care offered to its residents.
Multiple inspections by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have highlighted issues with the living conditions of the park’s animals. In November 2023, the USDA claimed that a visit to the park showed a rusty, dangerous penguin enclosure, a manatee named Clarity with a progressive skin condition that was yet to be properly treated, several dolphins showing signs of gastric distress and possible ulcers, animals living in bacteria-ridden water, and multiple pools in a state of disrepair.
Reports have also complained that the park only has “a single veterinarian to care for the 46 marine mammals and hundreds of birds, fish, sharks, and rays housed at the facility.”
While Miami-Dade County – which leases out the Virginia Key property home to Miami Seaquarium – has previously given the park time to address these concerns, it seems like time has now officially run out for the park after the USDA issued a “Notice of Intent to Confiscate” four of its animals. This is the first confiscation of its kind in 30 years.
On January 21, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava sent a letter to the park’s owner, The Dolphin Company, expressing “profound frustration” with the treatment of its animals. “The County is diligently reviewing all necessary actions to pursue the termination of the Amended and Restated Lease Agreement,” Levine Cava wrote in the letter shared by the Miami Herald. “We believe it is imperative to address these serious violations decisively and with urgency.”
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As per the terms of its lease, the Florida theme park has 45 days to remedy its violations. However, considering its past history, it seems unlikely that it will comply with the terms of its lease in this timeframe.
The Dolphin Company – which purchased the park from Palace Entertainment in 2022 – has long argued that the park’s issues predate its ownership and maintains that it has made efforts to improve its conditions and facilities. It operates several other similar parks across the globe, including Dolphin Discovery Grand Cayman and Zoomarine in Rome, Italy.
After being contacted by Inside the Magic for comment, Miami Seaquarium said that while it appreciates the Mayor’s concerns, the park is “in compliance with federal Animal Welfare Act regulations” and is in the process of collaborating with the USDA to address concerns.
“We reiterate our disappointment with how Miami-Dade County has misused the information they claimed they had received from the USDA regarding animal health issues at MSQ [Miami Seaquarium],” a spokesperson said. “The Mayor and her staff have never reached out to MSQ to confirm the accuracy of this information before making it public. They could have contacted us at any time with any questions or concerns, or even sent an independent veterinarian to confirm the claims, but this was not the case.”
Do you think theme parks should be able to keep dolphins and other marine mammals in captivity? Let us know in the comments!