The Miami-Dade mayor’s office decided to terminate the rental agreement with the company that manages it Miami Seaquarium, Dolphin Co., for “numerous and repeated violations” that affected compliance with contractual obligations.
Addressed, according to instructions Eduardo AlborCompany President, The property must be handed over by April 21 due to a “long and troubling history” of violations.
Reasons for notices include inadequate maintenance of property, care of animals in violation of law and failure to comply with legal regulations. Telemundo 51.
Last January, the mayor of Miami-Dade, Daniela Levine CavaThe United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) expressed “deep disappointment” over alleged animal welfare violations discovered during a Regular inspection in November 2023.
In response, Seaquarium said its staff is working with the federal government agency to address those concerns and expressed disappointment with the way the county handled the report’s findings.
Channel report NBC Miami It declared The dolphin, named Ripley, was found with a two-inch nail, mangrove pods and a small piece of shell stuck in her neck.when Another, named Bimini, had a broken bolt in its mouth.
These facts, found in the aquarium during a routine inspection conducted in October, were revealed in a report released in January by the USDA agency’s Animal and Phytosanitary Inspection Service.
It was also found out weeks before the investigation An adult female sea lion from California, known as Sushi, had her right eye closed, and she was rubbing both because she needed cataract surgery.The report noted.
The same document also states that the seal had started refusing food due to eye pain and surgical intervention had not yet been scheduled at the time of inspection.
During the audit, a large number of ants were also found in the facility’s veterinary clinic, a “pungent noxious odor” in the parrot area, “stagnant, cloudy water with green algae” in the flamingo enclosure, among other problems, collect reports. .
Another USDA document, dated November, also found several problems, including: Dolphin pools in poor condition and high levels of bacteria in the water Where marine mammals are kept.
According to NBC MiamiIn January the county intended to terminate its lease with the seaquarium, citing reports from the USDA.
In February, the organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) held two protests calling for the termination of the Seaquarium’s lease.
During 2023, this marine park suffered two significant losses: in August, Death of beloved Orca Lolita and, in December, the Sundance Dolphin Show.
From 2022, the Dolphin Company took over the management of the marine park, although the Seaquarium has been on government-owned land for almost 70 years.
If the company doesn’t agree to leave, the Miami-Dade mayor’s office can initiate legal eviction proceedings.
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