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Nationwide, SeaQuest amassed reports of animal neglect, animal deaths, legal violations, and injuries to the public, which resulted in the company filing for bankruptcy and selling the four remaining locations. So why have malls across the country allowed it to operate aquariums in them?
At SeaQuest Woodbridge, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection revoked its Exhibitor and Endangered Species permits and confiscated the regulated animals, citing more than 3,500 complaints against the facility from members of the public and former employees, dozens of violations of captive animal regulations, and abysmal conditions—including infectious diseases running rampant through the facility, improper conditions in animals’ habitats that led to illnesses and deaths, and sick animals apparently denied adequate veterinary care. Records from the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife show that nearly 100 animals have died at SeaQuest Woodbridge in just 5 years.
At SeaQuest's Las Vegas aquarium, a capybara escaped while being transported in a dog carrier in an open truck bed. Former employees also reported seeing birds stepped on and killed, turtles crushed by children, and an octopus boiled alive when the tank's water temperature changed. In December 2022, the USDA fined SeaQuest $4,500 for multiple alleged violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, including guests being bitten by otters, coatis, and a kinkajou at the Layton, Utah location.
The new owners are renaming the dingy aquariums, but they can’t hide their sordid past. These interactive aquariums are still confining animals in cramped, crowded enclosures inside shopping malls, forcing them into dangerous public encounters, and profiting from their suffering.
Despite all this, these malls are continuing to allow these shady businesses to operate.
Use the form below to ask the following companies not to allow any interactive aquarium at their properties moving forward:
- Summit Real Estate Management Services
- Spinoso Real Estate Group