Born Free USA strongly opposes the opening of the new SeaQuest aquarium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and calls on all residents in the area to boycott the business in support of the captive wildlife within. The 23,000 square foot mall attraction, which will house more than 1,200 wild marine animals such as sharks and rays, will allow the public to touch and interact with the animals. Having wildlife in captivity is detrimental to the health and safety of the animals even without putting their handling and feeding literally in the hands of children.
We have special cause for concern over the quality of care that will be provided to the facility’s animals, given that other SeaQuest locations have had many reported animal escapes and been investigated for animal cruelty, including cases of animals dying en masse due to starvation and neglect. There have even been reports of visitors alerting the staff to dead and decomposing animals inside the aquariums at some of their locations.
Additionally, we oppose the notion that SeaQuest and similar facilities are necessary to educate the public, especially children. Facilities offering up-close interaction with wild animals run contrary to stated educational aims, as those interactions are inherently unnatural and therefore do not and cannot teach visitors anything about animals’ genuine, natural behaviors. Instead, these venues teach the public – especially children – that animals exist solely for our entertainment.
It appears that plans to open the Ft. Lauderdale SeaQuest location will continue despite protest from the animal protection community and the concerns of local elected officials and many members of the public. Born Free USA urges the public to boycott these types of venues which exploit animals. In particular, we call on parents to make the compassionate and ethical choice not to bring their children to this venue and to instead look for ways to teach children about how animals really behave by observing them, undisturbed, in nature.
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