USDA says Miami Seaquarium operators in compliance after finding issues with animal care
MIAMI -- Federal regulators said Tuesday that the operators of the Miami Seaquarium are in compliance after it took "necessary corrective action to come into compliance" following a threat to remove animals housed at the Miami-Dade attraction.
In a statement to CBS News Miami, a spokesperson said it was satisfied that the operators had addressed the issues raised by officials at the the U.S. Department of Agriculture who cited several violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
The agency "issued a notice of intent to confiscate to the facility on January 19, 2024. Miami Seaquarium took necessary corrective action to come into compliance with the AWA."
"It's important to clarify that, there was no confiscation, and MSQ's (Miami Seaquarium) professional staff continues to care for its animals with the same passion, knowledge and dedication they do every day," the Miami Seaquarium said in a statement..
The move could nullify a decision by Miami-Dade to consider terminating the lease of The Dolphin Company, which operates the Miami Seaquarium.
CBS News Miami's Joe Gorchow spoke with Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who issued a joint letter with Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to the management company highlighting animal care concerns.
Regalado told Gorchow the USDA's latest decision does not shift the county's stance to consider terminating its lease with the Dolphin Company.
"We're giving them the opportunity to cure. But we also have to be respectful of our obligation to maintain the health and safety of those animals. And we are asking them to continue to be our partner. But a lot of promises were made and a lot of those promises haven't been kept," said Regalado.
"It's starting to look like a pattern, right? We keep running up against the same things. I mean, we're still having issues with the water quality with the facilities. These are the same issues that have been coming up since day one. It's a day-by-day thing."
Levine Cava had informed the Seaquarium operators that her administration had begun reviewing the operator's lease with an eye toward terminating it, citing ongoing care of animals at the aquatic attraction.
"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. 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," the Miami Seaquarium said in a statement.
Miami-Dade threatens to revoke lease of Seaquarium
In a letter dated Jan. 21, the mayor wrote to Eduardo Albor, president of The Dolphin Company, expressing "deep-seated concerns regarding the quality of care provided to the animals at the Seaquarium."
Levine Cava was apparently responding to a Notice of Intent to Confiscate issued by the USDA regarding four animals currently housed at the Seaquarium. She said it was "the first time in 30 years that the USDA has taken such a measure with marine animals."
Said Cava in the letter: "This underscores the gravity of the situation and cannot be taken lightly, and the County will take all possible measures in coordination with the USDA to ensure the welfare of the animals at the Seaquarium."
The most recent report by federal regulators cited issues that included: a manatee that was suffering from a skin condition, a sea lion pool that contained excessive bacteria; pools for dolphins that were in bad physical shape; and inadequate ventilation in the penguin enclosure.
Federal regulators in 2022 inspected the operations at the Seaquarium and found that the mammals at the attraction were underfed and underweight, according to the findings in a 10-page report they issued.
The federal officials said in July that dolphins at the park were becoming violent as a result of their conditions at the facility, a 38-acre oceanarium originally founded in 1955 and located on the island of Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay.
The Dolphin Company assumed operations of the park in March 2022 and told CBS News Miami then that any negligence in animal care preceded their arrival.
"When we acquired the Miami Seaquarium, our staff found many of the dolphins overweight," General Manager Patrick Pearson said at the time.
He added that the company had corrected issues with the dolphins' diets.
"Animal welfare and water quality are at the top of our list," he said. "They [USDA] examined a period of time, when we were still transitioning. I think if they came here now they would be happy with what they'd see."
Pearson left the facility in October 2022.
After the USDA issued its report, Levine Cava said she was disturbed by the findings.
"Like people across our community, I was deeply disturbed by the findings," she said in 2022.
"The facility while I was there, and clearly afterward, was by far the worst marine mammal facility I've ever worked at, hands down the staff was some of the worst I've ever worked with," said veterinarian Dr. Jenna Wallace who used to work at the facility.
Wallace, who exposed the conditions that are happening beyond those walls, said this is a good start but she would like to see more.
"I would love to see criminal charges being brought against the people that were obstructing justice in regard to the USDA inspections," she said.
On Monday evening, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Executive Vice Present Tracy Reiman reacted to the mayor's letter, saying, "After a years-long PETA campaign that included lawsuits, celebrity ads, letters to county officials, and lively rallies, including this month at the Miami-Dade County Mayor's Office, along with a decade of weekly protests by local activists, the county has finally announced that it is moving to revoke the Miami Seaquarium's lease, marking the beginning of the end for this animal prison."
"PETA has champagne on ice and is preparing to celebrate the day the animals are finally freed from the dilapidated concrete tanks where Lolita and so many others lived and died in misery. We urge Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the county commissioners to act swiftly to shut the Miami Seaquarium down. The animals are ready!"
We have reached out to the owners of the Miami Seaquarium and are waiting to hear back.
Beloved whale Lolita died in captivity at Miami Seaquarium
In Aug. 2023, Lolita, a beloved whale who had been a mainstay at the attraction, died at the Miami-Dade park, sparking national concern in some corners and outrage in others.
At the time, the operators of the park said Toki, who was also known by her Native American name of Tokitae, or "Toki," had been showing "serious signs of discomfort" over the past two days before she died. A necropsy reveal the killer whale died in part from the affects of a renal condition.
In a Facebook post, the Miami Seaquarium said she died from what was believed to be a renal condition.
Lolita's death sparked a protest from PETA officials who called on park operators to free other animals that were at the attraction.
2024.01.21 Dolphin Company by Alfred Charles on Scribd
