An Entertainment Abuses Article from All-Creatures.org



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Miami Seaquarium's sea lion Bud has died

From OurHonor.org
April 2024

Our Honor has sent multiple letters signed by veterinarians to the Miami-Dade Police, State Attorney, Commissioners, and Mayor with documentation of animal cruelty in violation of Florida’s animal cruelty laws that continue to go unresolved in light of The Dolphin Company’s recent statement.

Bud was around 20 years old and, according to court documents (pp. 148-151), may have been suffering from kidney disease. Miami Seaquarium’s former veterinarian had ordered a CT scan but the delay in scheduling diagnostics was reported as the reason Bud was among the four animals the United States Department of Agriculture had intended to confiscate when they issued a January 19, 2024 notice.

Today, April 8, 2024, investigator Cassie Aryes visited the Miami Seaquarium to document the conditions. The footage shows many areas of concern including rusted and corroded fences (more), rusty hand railings, water damage and staining around the tanks, rust and mold outside of the tanks, particulates and cloudy water in the reef tank, cracked, peeling flooring at the Reef Tank, an area of turbid, stagnant water in Discovery Bay, and sludge and debris in Sharky’s Playground, broken electrical outlets, and peeling paint and black mold in the penguin facility previously cited in USDA reports that has gone unaddressed.

On March 20th, 2024, Dr. Crystal Heath, a veterinarian and Executive Director of the veterinary advocacy non-profit organization, Our Honor, visited the facility and found multiple issues, including ongoing poor drainage of the flamingo enclosure previously cited by the USDA, leaking tanks, a hot motor with the warning label “hot surface do not touch” near dried leaves, leaking pipes, a disintegrated electrical box near plants, and electrical cords near dried plant material.

Dr. Heath captured footage of what appeared to be a dolphin consuming material that fell off a pipe, barren pinniped (seal) enclosure devoid of sufficient enrichment, poor water quality in the Reef Tank and fish with cloudy eyes, water damage and rust surrounding the dolphin tank with a poster covering areas of persistent water leakage and damage, other areas of water damage, cracking, mold and peeling paint near the dolphin tank, and no change to the peeling paint and black mold in the penguin enclosure previously reported during the January 16, 2024 USDA inspection. These findings are a safety hazard for the animals, staff, and general public.

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Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE.

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