MIAMI – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released yet another damning report documenting a range of repeat violations impacting the health and wellness of animals at the deteriorating Miami Seaquarium.
Take for example the dolphin, Sundance. The Nov. 28 inspection report notes that the attending veterinarian had concerns about several of the marine mammal park’s dolphins.
“Ripley, Panama, Onyx, and Sundance are showing signs of gastric distress and abnormal samples from these animals continue to be found. Ripley is known to consume and regurgitate non-food items,” it stated.
The report also revealed that the attending veterinarian suspected that “several dolphins may have ulcers and possibly foreign bodies, necessitating an endoscope for confirmation of diagnosis and to proceed with a more targeted treatment plan.”
Despite this, the report states that the facility, at the time of inspection, had still not “acquired an endoscope.”
Just under one month after that inspection, Sundance died. The current condition of the other dolphins is unknown.
Attorney Daniel Wehking, a former animal caretaker and diver at Miami Seaquarium, reviewed USDA’s latest inspection report and shared his thoughts with Local 10 News on what he believes led to Sundance’s death:
“I would suggest that the lack of care for Sundance is likely responsible for his death. Not only has the park failed to do routine preventative care for its animals since March, it failed to even diagnose Sundance when he showed signs of illness. I am once again calling on the Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners to secure third-party care for the animals and evict The Dolphin Company immediately.”
Dr. Jenna Wallace, a former veterinarian at Miami Seaquarium who once treated Sundance, is now calling on USDA to do more for the animals’ wellbeing.
“The USDA has federal oversight over these animals,” Wallace told Local 10 News last week. “They should confiscate these animals immediately and the county and city of Miami should be working with USDA to make that happen before the park loses more and more animals.”
“I think I speak for a lot of people in Miami when I say enough is enough the mayor, the county, and USDA. what is it going to take?” Wallace said Thursday. “Is it going to take every single animal in that park to die for the lease to be revoked? Do your job and revoke the lease.”
BLACK MOLD, BACTERIA IN POOLS, AND RUSTY ENCLOSURES
USDA in its latest inspection report states there is now just one veterinarian on staff for the entire park to care for “46 marine mammals, 50 birds, and hundreds of fish, sharks and rays.”
It also notes high bacteria levels, black mold, and infrastructure in disrepair:
• “Multiple problems” with the indoor penguin building include the metal frame around glass being “rusted and breaking off, causing sharp edges that could pose a hazard to the penguins.”
Inspectors also noted that inside the enclosure paint is peeling and sections of the drywall are breaking off at corners near the water feature and rock outcrops.
“This indoor area has multiple issues that need prompt addressing and maintenance for the safety of the penguins,” the report stated in part.
It also states that “the ventilation problem within the penguin indoor enclosure, housing 9 penguins, has not been addressed since the last inspection.”
Inspectors say there is still “an excessive accumulation of moisture condensation on the ceiling, leading to spots of black mold growth. The air filter in the ventilation duct for the penguin enclosure was removed in August and has not been replaced. Consequently, there is excess dust and debris blowing directly into the exhibit area.”
• Inspectors found that “coliform counts” for the sea lion holding area “have been excessively high” from the last week of October, through all of November. “High counts of coliform bacteria in the environments of marine mammals pose a risk to the health of these animals.” USDA’s report also notes an unsecured metal grate that covers the access point to the filtration system in the sea lion holding area.
• Multiple indoor and outdoor metal enclosures in the Tropical Wings section showed “evidence of excessive rust.”
The report also states that “many of the wood perches have been chewed excessively shortening their length and limiting the parrot’s movement around the area.”
Other perches are “so smooth that there is less grip for the birds as they move around,” it states.
The manager for the area states that she has tried unsuccessfully to order additional enrichment and perching for these birds. The perching for these birds needs to be addressed for their “psychological and physiological well-being.”
The report also states the facility does not consider “the special needs of the birds that show signs of being in psychological distress” to include a “bonded pair of macaws that has feather plucked each other” and a third parrot that has “self-plucked and is housed alone.”
• Parrots are chewing through the metal bars “and strips of paint are peeling off the ceiling, allowing access to surfaces and materials that are not safe or appropriate for birds to chew or ingest can lead to illness or injury.”
The report also notes that one of the bird trailers housing several parrots “still has a strong noxious odor. They say, “permeating the air with mold, mildew, poor air quality, and noxious odors can cause illness in birds.”
• Dolphin pools in Dolphin Harbor are reportedly in “disrepair.” Inspectors noted broken concrete and sections of missing concrete.
•Rusting support beams along the facility’s perimeter fence.
• Higher than industry standards coliform counts in the flamingo enclosure which houses 29 flamingos and offers “no shelter” from “inclement weather.”
•Inadequate staffing: “Based on the number of non-compliant items identified in this report, this facility does not have enough adequately trained employees that can maintain the professional acceptable level of husbandry and handling practices for the animals in their collection.”
In September, the company decided to bypass a full inspection by International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association (IMATA) inspectors by choosing to not renew accreditation for its trainers.
A SERIES OF TROUBLING USDA REPORTS:
The November 28, 2023, inspection report comes on the heels of back-to-back USDA findings documenting a series of troubling facility failures and repeat violations. Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces has now issued two separate notices of defaults, telling the Miami Seaquarium it owes the County thousands of dollars in unpaid rent and making reference to USDA findings that intersect with the health and wellness of animals in its care.
In just the past 5 months several animals at the marine mammal park have had to be urgently transferred to other facilities due to their residing in “insufficient environmental conditions” at The Miami Seaquarium.
That includes 40-year-old Loke and her 5-year-old son Elelo, two Pacific white-sided dolphins who were transported under federal authorization from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Office of Protected Resources to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago who told Local 10 news at the time they had responded “to an urgent need to provide sanctuary.”
Elelo’s father Li’l was later transferred to Sea World San Antonio.
A few months later US Fish and Wildlife assisted with the transport of manatees from the facility including “Romeo”, an adult male manatee that USDA stated was being housed alone following the release of three juvenile manatees to the wild in the spring of 2023. “Although numerous attempts have been made to acquire another manatee it was determined the facility did not yet meet the requirements to receive another animal. Manatees are semi-social animals and do better medically and psychologically when they are housed in pairs or groups.”
Back in March of 2022, Miami-Dade County’s Mayor’s Office celebrated a lease transfer to MS Leisure Company, inc. – a subsidiary of The Dolphin Company.
Since then, the USDA has issued a series of violation warnings, and findings that document animals hurt and in distress. Its captive orca Lolita died of “old age and multiple chronic illnesses.”
Read Miami-Dade County’s response to the USDA inspection reports here:
Local 10 News has reached out to the facility about the USDA’s recently published findings.
Read the USDA’s Nov.28 full inspection report on Miami Seaquarium here: