MIAMI — Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has informed the operators of the Miami Seaquarium that her administration is reviewing the operator’s lease with an eye toward terminating it, citing ongoing care of animals at the aquatic attraction.
In a letter day Jan. 21, the mayor wrote to Eduardo Albor, president of The Dolphin Company, expressing “deep-seated problems relating to the high quality of treatment supplied to the animals at the Seaquarium.”
Levine Cava was seemingly responding to a Observe of Intent to Confiscate issued by the U.S. Division of Agriculture relating to 4 animals at present housed at the Seaquarium. She said it was “the first time in 30 years that the USDA has taken this sort of a measure with marine animals.”
Said Cava in the letter: “This underscores the gravity of the situation and can’t be taken frivolously, and the County will just take all feasible measures in coordination with the USDA to make sure the welfare of the animals at the Seaquarium.”
Federal regulators in 2022 inspected the operations at the Seaquarium and identified that the mammals at the attraction had been underfed and underweight, in accordance to the results in a 10-site report they issued.
The federal officers claimed in July that dolphins at the park had been becoming violent as a result of their disorders at the facility, a 38-acre oceanarium originally started in 1955 and found on the island of Virginia Crucial in Biscayne Bay.
The Dolphin Business assumed operations of the park in March 2022 and advised CBS News Miami then that any carelessness in animal treatment preceded their arrival.
“When we obtained the Miami Seaquarium, our staff members found quite a few of the dolphins chubby,” Typical Supervisor Patrick Pearson mentioned, formerly, adding that his business experienced corrected troubles with the dolphins’ diets. “Animal welfare and drinking water good quality are at the leading of our listing,” he explained.. “They [USDA] examined a time period of time, when we were still transitioning. I think if they came in this article now they would be delighted with what they’d see.”
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in
for more features.
