Miami-Dade orders Seaquarium to vacate property in April

The Miami-Dade mayor's office decided to end the rental contract with the company that operates theMiami Seaquarium, The Dolphin Company, for the "numerous and repeated violations" that affected compliance with contractual obligations.

According to the notification, addressed toEduardo Albor, President of the company,the property must be handed over by April 21 due to the "long and worrying history" of violations.

The reasons for the notice include inadequate maintenance of the property, care of animals in contravention of the law and failure to comply with legal regulations,reportedTelemundo 51.

Last January, the mayor of Miami-Dade,Daniella Levine Cava, expressed "deep frustration" over alleged animal welfare violations discovered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) during aroutine inspection in November 2023.

In response, the Seaquarium stated that its staff was working with the federal government agency to address those concerns and expressed disappointment in the way the county had handled the outcome of the report.

Andchannel reportNBC Miami revealed thata dolphin named Ripley was found with a two-inch nail, mangrove pods and small pieces of shell in its throat, whileanother, named Bimini, had a broken bolt in his mouth.

These facts discovered at the Seaquarium, during a routine inspection carried out in October, were revealed in a report presented in January by the Animal and Phytosanitary Inspection Service of the USDA agency.

Also, weeks before the investigation, it was discovered thatAn adult female California sea lion, who goes by the name Sushi, had her right eye closed, and she was rubbing both because she required cataract surgery., the report noted.

The same document also states that this seal began to refuse food due to eye pain and at the time of the inspection the surgical intervention had not yet been scheduled.

During the audit, a large number of ants were also found in the facility's veterinary clinic, a "strong noxious odor" in a parrot area, "stagnant, cloudy water with green algae" in a flamingo enclosure, among other problems. collect the report.

Another USDA document, dated November, also found several problems, including:dolphin pools in poor condition and high levels of bacteria in the water where marine mammals are kept.

According toNBC Miami, in January the county intended to terminate its lease with the Seaquarium, taking into account USDA reports.

In February, the organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) held two protests calling for the termination of the Seaquarium's lease.

During 2023, this marine park suffered two significant losses: in August,the death of the beloved orca Lolita and, in December, the Sundance dolphin show.

Since 2022, the Dolphin Company took over the operation of the marine park, although the Seaquarium has been on government-owned land for almost 70 years.

If the company does not agree to leave, the Miami-Dade mayor's office could begin legal eviction proceedings.