Animals at SeaQuest Las Vegas have bitten employees, reportedly stamped to death of children, and reportedly “boiled alive” from malfunctioning equipment.
Read on to find out more reasons why SeaQuest Las Vegas is bad for animals and unsafe for visitors:
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In September 2021, Las Vegas Animal Control responded to a complaint from PETA about a wolf hall at SeaQuest with missing skin on its tail and exposed bones.
SeaQuest claimed the animal had a benign abscess that was later removed, but the facility’s veterinarian had no record of any abscess or its removal.
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In July 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) quoted SeaQuest Las Vegas after an inspector saw an unsupervised visitor reach over an enclosure fence and pet a capybara.
Unsupervised public contact with wild animals is dangerous and a violation of the Federal Animal Protection Act. Given that SeaQuest’s business model encourages this type of reckless public interaction, it’s no surprise that stressed animals hurt people who don’t want to be touched.
Unsupervised contact between the public and the animals is common at SeaQuest Las Vegas
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In July 2020, a one-year-old sloth named Flash died at SeaQuest Las Vegas.
When he died he was thin and suffered from weakness, twitching, and loss of appetite. PETA asked the USDA to investigate the circumstances that led to his death, including whether SeaQuest had the knowledge and experience to adequately care for this species.
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In August 2020, the USDA sued SeaQuest Las Vegas for lack of acquisition records and proper identification for three Bengal cats.
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A multi-part investigative report dated February 2019 uncovered several issues with SeaQuest Las Vegas, as described by five former employees who claimed the facility was dangerous to the public, staff and animals.
A former employee reported that children in the interactive aviary stamped and killed birds and the dead animals were thrown in the trash.
Another former employee reported similar incidents involving small turtles, some of which he claimed had been crushed by children. “I think they started when I was 12. When I left they had three,” he said.
A former employee also reported that a large octopus was “boiled alive” after the tank water temperature changed overnight.
In addition, the former employees reportedly provided videos and photos of “a black mold-covered swamp room wall, a dead turtle that was said to have rotted for days in the koi tank, and an insect-infested drain in the aviary”. where they say birds have drunk and bathed before interacting with guests. “
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In February 2019, after a litter of Asian petty-clawed otters were born, Clark County Animal Control fined SeaQuest Las Vegas $ 2,000 and issued a subpoena for illegal animals.
In the administrative decision that upheld the quote and fine, the Hearing Officer reprimanded SeaQuest for attempting to profit by publishing a press release for an event to display the unapproved baby otters. The Hearing Officer also questioned SeaQuest’s “knowledge and experience” because he did not know that an otter named Hazelnut was pregnant until about a week before she was born.
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In May 2019, a 4-month-old otter named Dale bit a SeaQuest employee while bathing, and in September 2019, an 8-month-old otter named Chip bit an employee’s wrist.
Despite numerous otter injuries, deaths, and bites for zookeepers and the public, SeaQuest Las Vegas continues to exhibit this species (captured August 21, 2019).
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In April 2019, a news report detailed a former employee’s allegations that SeaQuest Las Vegas has withheld food for animals to force them to interact with guests who pay to feed them.
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In October 2018, SeaQuest was cited and fined after a capybara named Wesley escaped while being transported to a veterinary office.
He found himself in a dog crate on the back of an open-top pickup truck during his escape and was reportedly recaptured in a Target parking lot. He had multiple injuries and was bleeding from his face and mouth. The vet’s report found Wesley had multiple wounds, limped and broken two teeth on the gumline.
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In August 2018, a female Asian small-clawed otter drowned in SeaQuest Las Vegas.
According to the autopsy report, she was found dead on the floor of her enclosure one morning. She drowned after her arm was sucked into a pool filter system.
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In May 2018, a female Asian small-clawed otter died in SeaQuest Las Vegas.
The autopsy report said the “stress of shipping to Vegas, moving into a new environment, and being caged during construction can be fatal to the heart.”
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In April 2018, Clark County Animal Control warned SeaQuest that it is illegally housing otters and a coati without proper permits.
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A former employee contacted us in 2017 Reports of apparent animal neglect at SeaQuest Las Vegas, said he saw hundreds of animals die.
You can join PETA’s animal suffering efforts at SeaQuest Las Vegas and other SeaQuest aquariums across the country. The best thing you can do is refuse to buy a ticket. Then encourage your friends, family members, and social media followers to do the same.
Would you like to do more?
Take Action: Help Animals at SeaQuest!
