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Now that the Miami Seaquarium is closed for good, the owner of the shuttered marine park plans to transfer the surviving animals to various aquariums, zoos, and former caretakers.
The Mexico-based Dolphin Company, which recently sold its Virginia Key waterfront lease to local developer David Martin for $22.5 million, revealed in a bankruptcy filing last month that it intends to relocate the animals to zoos, aquariums, and wildlife centers in states including Washington, Indiana, Virginia, and Kansas. Additionally, a new filing on December 1 now reveals that the Dolphin Company also plans to transfer animals to three individuals, two of whom once worked at the Miami Seaquarium.
Miami Seaquarium, which first opened in 1955, shut its doors last month after years of controversy and troubling reports of animal safety violations. Last year, Miami-Dade County terminated the facility’s lease on the publicly owned site, citing the “long and troubling history” of animal welfare violations and marine mammal deaths. A bankruptcy judge later approved a $22.5 million sale to Martin’s development firm, Terra Group, which plans to transform the 38-acre site into a waterfront dining village featuring a marine public baywalk and an aquarium (sans marine mammals). The Miami-Dade commission is set to vote on the lease transfer terms next month.
As the park’s owner prepared to relocate the animals following the marine park’s closure, animal rights activists and former Miami Seaquarium trainers urged the Dolphin Company to pause the relocation, assess the health of the surviving animals, and develop a plan to move them to sanctuaries or release them back into the ocean. Two bottlenose dolphins have died at the marine park in the last three months.
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‘We urge you to please evaluate all remaining animals for possible release, and for those who cannot be released to go to reputable sanctuaries where they can have some semblance of a natural life,” Tracy Reiman, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), wrote in an October 9 letter to the Dolphin Company. “Some of these captives were taken from their natural homes and may be able to be safely returned to them.
The bankruptcy judge still has to approve the transfer of the assets — in other words, the animals. According to the two court filings, the Dolphin Company plans to send the surviving animals to the following locations:
Brookfield Zoo Chicago
The Dolphin Company wants to transfer ownership of a 22-year-old bottlenose dolphin named Noelani to the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois for $10,000. The filing notes that the female dolphin is already at the facility as part of a previous loan agreement
Nova Wild
The filing states that the Dolphin Company wants to transfer 27 American flamingos to the Nova Wild zoo in Reston, Virginia.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park
The Miami Seaquarium owner proposes sending 11 African penguins to the Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, Kansas.
Seattle Aquarium
The Dolphin Company is looking to transfer a 12-year-old male harbor seal to the Seattle Aquarium.
Zoo Miami
The Dolphin Company hopes to send two Argentine black and white tegu, a bearded dragon, a blue-tongued skink (a non-venomous lizard), a ball python, and one uromastyx (a spiny-tailed lizard) to Miami-Dade’s Zoo Miami.
Dolphin Life
The Dolphin Company proposal includes transferring Zo, a 19-year-old male bottlenose dolphin; Aries, a 23-year-old male bottlenose dolphin; Ripley, a 32-year-old male bottlenose dolphin; and Onyx, a 26-year-old male bottlenose dolphin, to the dolphin rescue center, Dolphin Life, in Key Largo.
Dolphin Research Center
The Miami Seaquarium owner plans to transfer two dolphins, three harbor seals, and two sea lions to the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key in the Florida Keys. The dolphins are Samantha and JJ. The two sea lions are named Raleigh and Clyde, and the three seals are Baby, Ace, and Cane.
Sea Lion Splash
The Dolphin Company proposal also includes the transfer of three harbor seals and nine California sea lions to the traveling sea lion show Sea Lion Splash. Animal rights activists, including PETA, have called on local county fairs to cancel the sea lion shows, which occur three times a day.
“The Dolphin Company is as bankrupt morally as it is financially, as after years of subjecting the animals in its clutches to a life of deprivation and misery, it now plans to extend their suffering indefinitely by shipping animals off to a seedy traveling show where they’ll be forced to perform circus-style tricks and treated as nothing more than props for photo ops,” PETA president Reiman said in an emailed statement to New Times. “These animals have been through hell, and PETA is pleading for them to finally be allowed some semblance of a normal life at a reputable facility.”
A PETA press release also noted the animal rights group’s grievances against Sea Lion Splash. “Sea Lion Splash has been cited for a litany of violations of the Animal Welfare Act—including keeping saltwater animals in freshwater and failing to provide sea lions with adequate veterinary care,” it reads.
Indianapolis Zoo
The Dolphin Company hopes to transfer four bottlenose dolphins, Cayman, Cobalt, Denise, and Gemini, to the Indianapolis Zoo.
Children’s Aquarium Dallas at Fair Park
The December 1 filing states that the Dolphin Company wishes to transfer dozens of fish to the Dallas Children’s Aquarium.
Ziggy’s Haven Bird Sanctuary
A nonprofit parrot rescue in Citrus County is looking to receive five macaws and one parrot.
Angelica Duque
According to the December 1 filing, Duque is the former caregiver for two tortoises and one macaw.
“Ms. Duque has six years of professional experience in animal care and management at Miami Seaquarium and Zoo Miami and has more than ten years of personal experience caring for birds, reptiles, and a variety of exotic species,” the filing reads.
Carlos Suarez
Like Duque, Suarez also worked at the Miami Seaquarium as a caregiver for two tortoises, a macaw, and a cockatoo.
“Mr. Suarez has professional experience at both Miami Seaquarium and Zoo Miami working with avian species, including the transferred animals, and has developed a strong foundation in both daily husbandry and specialized behavioral management, including hands-on training, enrichment design, and observation-based welfare assessments,” the filing continues.
Daniel Castillo
The filing reveals that the Dolphin Company plans to transfer 16 bamboo sharks and a yellow stingray to Daniel Castillo, a Miami-based aquarist (someone who maintains aquariums).
“Mr. Castillo is skilled in maintaining sustainable habitats, diagnosing aquatic health issues, and collaborating with veterinary teams,” the filing states.
Museum of Discovery and Science
The Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale could receive dozens of fish and marine life.
Shedd Aquarium
The Dolphin Company wants to transfer a Pacific white-sided dolphin to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
