Credit: Miami SeaquariumA ontroversial Florida theme park has taken legal action against an activist criticizing its animal attractions.
Yesterday, after the release of yet another damning report documenting the park’s animal welfare issues, it was revealed that Miami Seaquarium is suing an activist criticizing the park’s treatment of its resident marine mammals.
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Chris Carraway – Staff Attorney at the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project at the University of Denver Law School – released a statement confirming the news.
“Miami Seaquarium is currently suing an activist for criticizing the aquarium’s repeated, extensive, and well-documented violations,” he said. “Seaquarium’s priorities are clear: it would rather spend time, money, and other resources to shut down criticism than resolve its animal welfare issues. This is what happens when you view animals as something to profit off of, rather than as individuals who deserve to be free.”
Earlier the same day, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its latest report following another inspection of the Florida theme park in October 2023.
This time around, a dolphin named Ripley was found to have a a two-inch nail, mangrove pods, and small pieces of shell in his throat. Meanwhile, a second dolphin named Bimini had a broken bolt in her mouth.
“Enclosures that are not kept in good repair may produce foreign material which could be ingested and become injurious tothe animals,” the report said.
A sea lion named Sushi was also found to be in dire need of cataract surgery, which had not been scheduled at the time of the inspection – despite the animal reportedly showing signs of extreme discomfort in the weeks prior – while another dolphin named Zo was kicked in the mouth by a guest during an animal encounter experience at Flipper Stadium.
Several similar reports have emerged from the park in recent years, including one in November that found Miami Seaquarium’s pools contained high counts of bacteria. In January, the Mayor of Miami-Dade County sent a letter to the park’s owner, The Dolphin Company, expressing “profound frustration” with the treatment of its animals and announcing its intention to pursue the termination of its lease.
At the time, Miami Seaquarium – which infamously home pledged to free the world’s second-oldest captive killer whale, Lolita (AKA Tokitae), prior to her death last summer – told Inside the Magic that it is “in compliance with federal Animal Welfare Act regulations” and is in the process of collaborating with the USDA to address concerns.
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“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.”
Inside the Magic reached out to Miami Seaquarium for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.
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