A Humane Society of the United States investigation found that animals at SeaQuest Fort Worth were abused and neglected, lived among pest infestations and were placed into dangerous situations that resulted in injuries to animals and customers.
The Ridgmar Mall location shut down suddenly in October amid complaints filed by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Prior to the closure, the Humane Society sent an undercover investigator to work at SeaQuest locations in Fort Worth and Las Vegas, according to a Nov. 18 news release. While working 28 days in Fort Worth this summer, an investigator found several species of animals that experienced some form of abuse.
Among those animals included a capybara that suffered from a dislocated hip induced by the material in its enclosure, a kinkajou that attempted to bite an employee due to stress, and parakeets that suffered from cramped enclosures. One of those parakeets died as a result, according to the investigation.
The investigator also reported that otters fought and “jostled” with each other for food provided by the public, in which a zoological expert determined the animals were displaying “significant psychological distress,” according to the investigation’s report.
A blind porcupine experienced routine stress due to interactions with humans, and SeaQuest employees noted the animal had a history of “unpredictable and dangerous” behavior, according to the investigation. The undercover investigator was warned to use “extra” caution while cleaning the porcupine’s cage because he might puff up his quills. The animal was in distress after being moved to a new cage and was not given the time to become properly acclimated, the investigation found.
SeaQuest advertises that adults and children can touch, feed and interact with animals. At its Fort Worth location, the investigator documented incidents with the public involving iguanas, sugar gliders, a Bengal cat and sloths. The animals acted aggressively toward humans due to stress and inadequate living conditions, the investigator reported. There were occasions where customers reported they were injured by animals, but management did not provide first aid or dismissed the reports, the investigator alleges.
Interactive petting zoos are not only incredibly stressful for animals but are dangerous for the public, said Humane Society captive wildlife senior strategist Debbie Leahy.
“There’s a huge problem with the growing trend of interactive wild animal petting zoos,” said Leahy. “They’re poorly monitored, so it’s up to the parents to decide what are safe and unsafe interactions for their children, and SeaQuest’s are clearly unsafe.”
Staff routinely found roaches crawling or falling on them at the Fort Worth location, according to the Humane Society report. A child said they were worried about entering the capybara interaction cage because there were “so many roaches” inside. Dead roaches were consistently found in the animal food refrigerators, food prep areas and in the enclosures of several animals, the investigator observed.
Enclosures were also found infested with flies, the investigation report says, and maggots inundated unemptied trash cans used to collect animal feces and dirty food bowls left in the otter enclosure at SeaQuest Fort Worth. During the investigator’s time working at SeaQuest Fort Worth, three animals escaped — a ball python, a leopard gecko and an emerald swift lizard.
Humane Society staff were confident they would find issues at any SeaQuest location, but highly considered investigating the Fort Worth franchise due to its extensive history of animal welfare violations, said Leahy. Over the past five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has cited the company for more than 110 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, according to the society.
SeaQuest did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations.
City inspectors found animals to be ‘healthy and cared for’ in August
Two months before the Fort Worth location closed its doors Oct. 28, PETA sent the Tarrant County district attorney’s office a complaint asking Fort Worth authorities to open an investigation into the allegations of animal abuse at the aquarium. PETA received reports of abuse from three former employees detailing the deaths of two sharks and several other fish due to cramped tanks, suffocation from inadequate living and shipping conditions, and toxic levels of ammonia.
The animal rights organization initially contacted Fort Worth Animal Care & Control but the department turned away the allegations, PETA officials said in August.
Two days after PETA published the allegations in August, all animals at SeaQuest were inspected by animal control staff and appeared to be “healthy and cared for,” Code Compliance Director Brian Daugherty previously told the Report.
Animals rights groups sometimes encounter mixed results when comparing reports to investigations conducted by local authorities and that can be due to lack of strict laws, said Leahy.
While local authorities may be familiar with laws regarding domestic animals, such as cats and dogs, most officials are not adequately trained to inspect wildlife, she said. Wild animals require special expertise, said Leahy, but it came as a surprise to the Humane Society that code compliance or animal control did not catch issues such as the pervasive roach infestation.
The only issue Animal Care & Control was aware of at the time was a minor concern related to “hide space” — enclosure space out of view to the public — in two of the animals’ exhibits, said Brenda Matute, code compliance spokesperson.
“We remain committed to ensuring the welfare of all animals under our jurisdiction and will continue to monitor the facility as needed,” she said in a Nov. 19 statement.
The district attorney’s office forwarded PETA’s information to Fort Worth police but authorities determined the police department was not the appropriate agency to take on the investigation, a Fort Worth police spokesperson told the Report in October.
“Aquariums and zoos fall under the inspection and regulation of the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), and any violations are addressed at the federal level,” the spokesperson said.
In a statement sent to the Report in late October, the USDA did not confirm whether or not the department had opened an investigation. According to a Sept. 19 USDA inspection report, SeaQuest Fort Worth was ordered by the department to ensure adequate control and handling of animals during public interactions in response to two incidents where a customer was bit by a sloth and the other by a Bengal cat.
Beyond animal abuse, employees told the Humane Society undercover investigator that management fostered a “culture of fear,” making them reluctant to report concerns regarding the animals’ health and behavior. The culture led to high staff turnover, and employees were scolded by supervisors for reporting issues, including an occasion when a supervisor was “furious” with an employee for reporting a concern to a veterinarian, according to the report.
Fort Worth location one of several to shut down
SeaQuest operates five franchises across the country, down from its 10 original locations, according to the Humane Society. The Fort Worth location opened in 2017 as the centerpiece of plans to draw more foot traffic to the struggling mall.
Its closure followed a February ABC News investigation documenting more than 80 instances where the aquarium chain was cited for incidents including human injuries, inadequate care for animals and conditions leading to animal fatalities.
SeaQuest locations in Colorado, Connecticut and Georgia have also closed after former SeaQuest CEO Vince Covino stepped down in August, according to previous Report coverage. Its Las Vegas location remains open, according to the company’s website.
Leahy said the Humane Society hopes these investigations into SeaQuest lead to stronger laws, more enforcement and public awareness to avoid petting zoo businesses.
The animals at SeaQuest Fort Worth are waiting to be transported, and the franchise is working with the USDA to oversee the process, said Matute.
Nicole Lopez is the environmental reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.