MIAMI – Documents obtained by Local 10 News on Tuesday reveal a May affidavit from a Zoo Miami veterinarian testifying to “animals in distress” and a host of other issues at the Miami Seaquarium.
They also show that federal authorities at one point planned to confiscate at least four animals housed at the troubled marine park.
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Miami-Dade County leaders have sought to terminate the park operators’ lease to the Virginia Key facility.
On May 9, the Miami-Dade County Attorney’s Office submitted a sworn statement from Dr. Gwen Myers, the chief animal health officer at Zoo Miami as part of a pending federal court case filed by the park’s operators, MS Leisure Corporation, against the county, seeking to halt the eviction process.
In the documents, Myers said during four visits to the Seaquarium, she witnessed several issues at the park, backing up those documented by U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors.
Court documents:
Those issues included “animals in distress,” a “lack of adequate veterinary staffing,” “poor water quality,” “sick and/or injured animals,” mold, paint and rust issues, as well as “evidence of animal access to unsafe structures and potential foreign body ingestion.”
She said 10 USDA inspection reports were “consistent with my observations during my inspections of the facility.”
On Tuesday, Local 10 News also obtained a USDA confiscation notice sent to MS Leisure Company, dated Jan. 19.
It lists the USDA’s intent to confiscate four animals at the park.
Confiscation notice:
Those animals were Bud, a 19-year-old male California sea lion; Bimini, a 24-year-old female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin; Aries, a 21-year-old male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin; and Monty, a blue and gold macaw.
The USDA told park management that the animals “have been found to be suffering as the result of your failure to comply” with federal regulations and laws, specifically related to veterinary care.
It said the agency intended to confiscate the animals on Jan. 21. A section allowing the park’s operators to voluntarily surrender the animals lists a deadline date of “Saturday, August 20, 2024” in error — officials said it was supposed to read Jan. 20.
Daniel Wehking, a former Seaquarium animal caretaker who is now a lawyer and critic of the park, told Local 10 News that the USDA “has not responded to questions as to why they changed their plans to confiscate the animals.”
“Bud was euthanized by the park in March. Monty was moved to Peaceable Primate Sanctuary in Indiana in April. Bimini had her ribs broken repeatedly by other dolphins she was housed with. Ares is known for frequent vomiting and was severely underweight. None of these animals were getting the necessary care at the Seaquarium,” Wehking said.
A USDA spokesperson later told Local 10 News on Tuesday that it did not confiscate the animals because the Seaquarium corrected the issues outlined in the agency’s notice.
Local 10 News also contacted the Miami Seaquarium and the offices of Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Commissioner Raquel Regalado, whose district includes the Seaquarium, seeking comment Tuesday.