WRE News: Miami-Dade County Moves to Terminate Lease with Miami Seaquarium After Years of Pressure

Miami, FL – January 23, 2024 –  Amid concerns over animal care issues at the Miami Seaquarium, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has announced plans to terminate the facility’s lease on public waterfront. Federal inspectors’ reports highlighted concerns such as a manatee with a skin condition, contamination in the sea lion pool, and dilapidation in dolphin pools. The county, armed with increased authority under a new lease, is actively exploring options for terminating the agreement, while the USDA plans an unprecedented confiscation of four animals from the Seaquarium, marking the first such measure in marine mammal oversight in the past 30 years. After years of pressure from local advocates and animal rights activists, including Dolphin Project’s numerous ongoing efforts and petition to terminate the Seaquarium’s lease, the news has been long-awaited. “It’s time to close the chapter on dolphin and whale captivity in the City of Miami and replace it with cruelty-free entertainment and educational options,” Shares Ric. In the 1960s, O’Barry worked at the Miami Seaquarium, where he captured and trained dolphins, including the five dolphins that portrayed Flipper in the popular American TV series. When Kathy, the primary dolphin actor for Flipper, passed away in his arms, O’Barry had a profound realization that capturing and training dolphins for entertaining tricks was morally wrong. From that moment onward, O’Barry felt a calling to dedicate his life to a different cause. On the inaugural Earth Day in 1970, he initiated a powerful campaign against the lucrative dolphin captivity industry, giving rise to the Dolphin Project. Over the course of the last 52 years, Ric O’Barry has undertaken the rescue and rehabilitation of dolphins in various countries across the globe, including Haiti, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Brazil, South Korea, the Bahamas Islands, and the United States. Ric’s son and activist Lincoln O’Barry adds, “Dolphin Project applauds the decision of Mayor Cava to finally terminate the lease for Miami Seaquarium. Hopefully this will be the end of dolphin and whale captivity in Miami-Dade. Resources would be better used protecting the wild dolphins of Biscayne Bay and their habitat.” The county, joined by Commissioner Raquel Regalado, underscores the importance of decisive action in addressing serious violations against park animals. In response to the allegations, the Seaquarium has refuted claims of mistreatment, emphasizing compliance and requesting the USDA to reconsider their findings.

Click Here to sign the Dolphin Project Petition to cancel Miami Seaquarium’s lease.

Written By: Raquel Martinez