Relevant piece of news! According to cetabase on Instagram, Miami Seaquarium’s plans for where their dolphins will be transferred to are leaking. Apparently Onyx, one of their Atlantic-Pacific hybrids, is planned to be transferred to a facility in Quintana Roo, Mexico. I find it interesting that they’re planning on doing a transfer to Mexico. I wonder if all the permits will be obtained smoothly.
Let's see... Quintana Roo is a state of Mexico, on the Yucatan peninsula. Home of the popular resort town Cancun. And there are... many "Swim with dolphins!" tourist places there. Onyx is probably headed to one of them. Assuming that animal rights activists don't protest the move, and subsequently stop it from happening.
I counted eighteen on Google Maps... Makes sense that The Dolphin Company would plan to transfer the Seaquarium's dolphins to some of their other facilities. But geez, the animals right people really aren't going to be happy about the dolphins possibly being sent to tourist traps in Mexico. Limited regulation and for entertainment purposes? Yikes.
Preferably, other zoos and aquariums within the US. Not that the animal rights people would like that option either, but as you just said, the sea sanctuaries that the most activists uphold as the one and only "valid" placement for marine mammals (Especially cetaceans!), simply don't exist yet. If they ever will on the scale the activists want them to be. Personally, I'd certainly prefer that the Seaquarium's dolphins remained in the US. The Dolphin Company has not impressed me management-wise, I can't imagine that the quality of care for their animals is somehow better in countries that don't have the regulating power that the US does.
Does anyone know anything about this "Dolphin Company" and how reputable they are? It just seems strange to me that this company both runs multiple AZA-accredited facilities, and also some really awful ones (i.e., Miami Seaquarium), which makes me not really sure what to think of it. I also notice that conservation is barely mentioned on their website, which strikes me as odd for an AZA institution. I don't really know much about them though, so am curious to hear others' perspectives.
I’m not an expert on the company but when looking at the specific sites for their AZA facilities (I looked at Marineland Florida and Dolphin Discovery Isla Mujeres), they have little to no mention of conservation or research as you said. I did find this link: http://marineland.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/MDA_ReleasingSeaTurtlesPR.pdf indicating that Marineland does take place in animal rescue and this Education Outreach | Marineland Dolphin Adventure showing they do community education but can’t really find much on more in depth conservation and research efforts other than this page on photo identification of wild dolphins and when reading it it doesn’t even seem clear whether it’s Marineland participating Dolphin Photo Identification | Marineland Dolphin Adventure. Regarding dolphin discovery, there was little information about the specific facility other than purchasing tickets. When looking for info on dolphin discovery in general, I did find this: Manatee Conservation Center | News by Dolphin Discovery. There were other sites on conservation popping up for dolphin discovery but something is up with the website as it leads to an error-type page. Perhaps at the actual facilities themselves they make research and eduction more obvious but idk if anyone here has gone to one to confirm this. I agree that it’s odd that their efforts are not front and center on their websites.
I took a look at a couple of the animal encounter programs ("Meet a Dolphin" and "Seal Swim") and they're still available to be booked after the eviction date as well. In fact, one of the "Meet a Dolphin" times on April 30th is sold out! Either they're doing a terrible job keeping their website updated and refunding customers or they're planning on staying put in defiance of the law. Hopefully some legal action will force them to leave.
Miami Seaquarium sea lion dies before it could be taken by USDA – NBC 6 South Florida A sea-lion, 'Bud', who was set to be confiscated from the Seaquarium, was euthanised before that occurred. It is believed he was suffering from a kidney disease.
Sad that another animal fell victim to the Seaquarium’s negligence. I hope that the eviction does end up going through and the animals end up at better facilities. I’m aware that the Seaquarium claims to have improved enough to the point that they feel they will avoid eviction but I know the county is still pushing to have them kicked and am hoping it goes through.
3 blue and yellow macaws and one red lored Amazon have been moved from the Miami Seaquarium to the Peaceable Primate Sanctuary. Interestingly, it was apparently voluntary though I wouldn’t be surprised if they expected these birds to be confiscated soon. Until Lolita is Home on Instagram: "AND THEY ARE OUT OF THE HELLHOLE!!! - Four parrots who were suffering at the Miami Seaquarium have arrived at the Peaceable Primate Sanctuary. “The pictures may be shocking but the facility that kept them made the right decision to rehome them, with assistance from PETA and a west coast zoo.” - The photos show the rescued parrots in temporary quarantine, new enclosures are being constructed where they will receive proper care, healthy food, and appropriate social housing. The USDA had previously cited MSQ for holding birds in enclosures with rusted metal, bubbling and flaking paint, and a “strong noxious odor permeating the air.” Other citations addressed three of these birds’ excessive self-plucking, noting that such behavior indicates “psychological distress,” as well as the facility’s failure to provide the highly intelligent birds with species-specific environmental enrichment. It also appears that at least two of the parrots are currently infected with “parrot wasting disease,” which can cause birds to exhibit tremors, paralysis, self-mutilation, aggression, and seizures, among other symptoms. Ref & huge thanks to PETA & Peaceable Primate Sanctuary! - Thank you to Dr Jenna Wallace whose photos of the birds went viral, bringing much needed attention to ALL the animals who suffer at MSQ! - #untillolitaishome #tokitae #justice4toki #toki #eduardoalbor #ShutDownMSQ #thedolphincompany #miamiseaquarium #standupforanimalrights #animalabuse #failure #iamtokitae #dolphinabusementcompany #shutdownmiamiseaquarium"
Report accuses Miami Seaquarium of hindering USDA investigation – NBC 6 South Florida A newly obtained USDA inspector’s report stemming from January inspections at Miami Seaquarium reveals allegations of willful delays to the investigation, investigation interference, and employee intimidation by management at the facility. April 21st can't come soon enough....
The Dolphin Company files federal lawsuit against Miami-Dade County over seaquarium operations - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale The Dolphin Company, a Latin American corporation that owns the Miami Seaquarium, has filed a federal lawsuit against Miami-Dade County, alleging unfair treatment and breaches of agreement that hinder its operations and conservation efforts. On eviction-eve too.... we shall see what will happen... tomorrow!
It is now the 9th hour in Miami as of writing. An hour away from the usual opening time. The next hours from now shall be interesting to witness!
Social media states the park is open. I wonder what attendance is like today... And what else is going on there
