By Antonio Planas -
NBC News
Seaquarium's lease was terminated by Miami-Dade County (Florida) Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who ordered the company that owns the marine aquarium to vacate the facility in April after a series of federal inspections revealed the poor condition of the facility and the risk to the safety of the animals it houses.
This Thursday, the mayor's office sent a letter of notice of termination of the lease contract to Eduardo Albor, general director of
The Dolphin Company
, who must leave the premises before April 21.
Lolita, the orca who was the main attraction at the Miami Seaquarium for years, in a photo from January 31, 2014. Walter Michot / Miami Herald via Getty Images file
The text cites numerous cases in which the Seaquarium owners did not properly maintain their facilities;
there were personnel problems;
and animals were put in danger, facts that were documented in multiple Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports.
“For example, between July 6, 2022 and January 9, 2024, the Department of Agriculture issued seven citations to the tenant for failing to properly maintain the premises;
seven for providing inadequate veterinary care;
two for improper handling of animals (in one case, the result was that a visitor was bitten during an encounter with dolphins);
three for failing to maintain outdoor facilities;
three for not having adequate staff;
two for failing to maintain interior facilities;
and three for inadequate water quality,” the letter indicates.
No member of the Dolphin Company could be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
It was also not possible to contact representatives of the Seaquarium,
NBC South Florida reported that animal activists have waged a two-year battle to close the facility.
A report prepared in January by the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service detected concerning conditions in the aquarium during an inspection on October 16.
He noted that a dolphin named Ripley was found with a two-inch nail, mangrove pods and
small pieces of shell in its throat
, NBC South Florida reported.
Another, named Bimini, was found with a broken screw in his mouth.
Weeks before the inspection it came to light that an adult California sea lion named Sushi had her right eye closed and was rubbing both eyes because she needed cataract surgery.
The sea lion began to refuse food due to eye pain and, at the time of the inspection, cataract surgery had not yet been scheduled, according to the report, cited by NBC South Florida.
Protesters speak out after the death of the orca Lolita, at the Miami Seaquarium, in Key Biscayne, Florida, on August 20, 2023. Wilfredo Lee / AP file
Last month, the environmental organization PETA organized two protests in Miami in which they called for the Seaquarium's lease to be terminated.
The facility has been the subject of criticism and protests for years for housing an orca, Lolita, who was captured in 1970;
The animal died in captivity in 2023 due to a health problem.
Last month the head of the Seaquarium's veterinarians resigned.
PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said Thursday: “After more than 50 years of misery for animals and false promises to right their wrongs, the Seaquarium's imminent closure comes late.
PETA hopes that Miami-Dade authorities will continue to do good work and ensure that these animals are sent to accredited facilities where they will receive the care they so urgently need.”