USDA report details violations and animal safety concerns – NBC 6 South Florida

A recent USDA inspection of the Miami Seaquarium found multiple failures and violations that have county leaders concerned.

The five-page report details a number of violations that have prompted Miami-Dade County to give the Seaquarium less than two months to get things in order.

According to the report, the Seaquarium ignored advice from veterinarians and failed to control animals when they interacted with the public, citing an incident this year where a dolphin bit a girl’s hand during a “meet and greet” encounter.

The report states the Seaquarium also failed to maintain proper enclosures for animals and failed to provide protection from weather or direct sunlight.

Also mentioned in the report was an incident from January when a dolphin was found to have a plastic zip tie, a piece of broken plastic, and a large piece of cement in its digestive tract.

In February, another dolphin was found to have multiple rib fractures, the report said.

The report also states the Seaquarium didn’t maintain enough trained workers, including veterinarians.

The inspection was done about a month before the beloved killer whale Lolita died at the Seaquarium after a sudden illness.

Protesters and animal rights activists had spent years arguing that Lolita was confined to a tank too small for her.

The remains of the orca Lolita, the beloved killer whale who spent the past five decades at the Miami Seaquarium, have been returned to the Lummi Nation tribe.

The USDA reported that the orca was eating rotten food and that her tank was dirty.

At the time, the Seaquarium said Lolita, also known as Tokitae, was in good health and that her tank had received some $500,000 in repairs.

This week, Miami-Dade County leaders sent a letter to the Seaquarium, giving it 45 days to fix the long list of issues.

The letter, sent from Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, said the Seaquarium is in violation of the terms of an amended and restated lease agreement.

A big part of that agreement requires the attraction to maintain animals in accordance with federal laws.

In a statement Friday, a Seaquarium spokesperson said they are in the process of reviewing the information and didn’t have a comment.

The county’s letter didn’t say what would happen if the issues weren’t fixed within the 45 days.