A recent news story on Divernet titled Captive Dolphin ‘Thrown Out With Bathwater’ attracted an unusually high level of attention. It concerned Miami Seaquarium, accused by campaigners of reneging on an undertaking to return the male dolphin Li’i to the ocean – and now the facility has been put on notice by local authorities to clean up its act.
Instead of being transferred to a sea-pen for retirement, Li’i had been transferred to a different captive facility, SeaWorld San Antonio in Texas. The death of Li’i’s tank-mate Lolita, which at 57 had been the longest-lived killer whale in captivity, had also been reported on Divernet in August.
Now the international charity PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has responded to a damning new US Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection report into Miami Seaquarium by writing to Miami-Dade County, urging it to terminate the facility’s lease without delay.
The county has in turn responded, according to the charity, by serving the Seaquarium notice of default on its lease, which requires that it not only maintain its property in “a good state of repair” but “maintain animals in accordance with federal laws.”
At the start of November Miami Seaquarium was given until mid-December to improve conditions for its captive animals – although, as PETA points out, the facility has already had years to rectify “chronic and repeat violations” documented in USDA annual reports since 2021.
“How many more animals does this hellhole need to torment before it accepts that all the world wants from it is a ‘permanently closed’ sign?” asks PETA executive vice-president Tracy Reiman.
“PETA is calling on officials to shut the facility down and ensure that the dolphins and all the animals there are sent to sanctuaries, where they would finally start recovering from their lifetime of trauma and get the care they so desperately need.”
Multiple violations
According to the USDA report, only recently made public, Miami Seaquarium was cited on 27 September for multiple violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, identified by inspectors in July.
There was considered to have been a lack of appropriate veterinary oversight. Trainers had been instructed not to contact the vet, according to the report, and numerous vet and vet-tech positions had been left vacant.
The facility had also failed to provide the necessary equipment to ensure adequate veterinary care and treatment. Three of its manatees had not been weighed for more than five years, because the Seaquarium lacked the necessary scales.
It had ignored recommendations that a dolphin that had ingested plastic and concrete from one of a number of dilapidated enclosures should be moved. It had also failed to control public interactive handling sessions, in one of which a dolphin had bitten a guest’s hand.
Another dolphin had sustained several broken ribs, thought to have resulted from it being unable to escape from incompatible tankmates in a confined space. It had broken ribs in similar circumstances in 2021.
Also, a manatee had been held alone in an enclosure lacking shade, even though failing to provide protection from direct sunlight could cause or perpetuate eye lesions.
‘Failed at every opportunity’
The report reiterated a number of violations that had already been noted in USDA’s 2021 and/or 2022 inspection reports, including ignoring veterinary recommendations, housing incompatible animals together and putting trainers and guests at risk of physical harm.
The 2022 report had in addition revealed that Miami Seaquarium had restricted its dolphins’ food by up to 60% for months – to make the animals more compliant for performances.
“Having failed at every opportunity to clean up its act, the Miami Seaquarium is still subjecting animals to injuries from incompatible tankmates and denying them shelter from the scorching Miami sun,” says Reiman.
US accreditation body the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) has stated that “The Dolphin Company, which currently manages four AZA-accredited facilities, is committed to improving the facilities and standards of care at Miami Seaquarium.” Neither AZA nor Miami Seaquarium has responded to Divernet’s requests for comment.
Also on Divernet: Malta park blames diver for dolphin deaths, Wildlife charity names ‘exploitative’ travel companies, Russia reinforces anti-diver dolphin squad, Dolphins guard Russian warships against divers
