Lawsuit Filed Over $19 million Sea Lion Habitat Renovation at Denver Zoo
Incident Date:
04/04/2026
Location:
Denver, CO - USA
Facility Name:
Denver Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Legal/illegal issue (LI)
Species:
Marine
Animal:
Sea Lions
Animal disposition:
Other
Summary:
DENVER, CO – The Denver Zoological Foundation (DZF), the nonprofit organization that operates the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, filed a lawsuit against the lead design firm and contractor for the zoo’s recently completed $19 million renovation of its California sea lion habitat.
The new habitat, Schlessman Shores, opened in June 2025 and replaced Northern Shores, which started housing sea lions in 1987. The lawsuit alleges those failures include the following points:
- Failing to design the pool water level to original specifications (which resulted in construction delays and additional costs to raise the pool, curbs, skimmers and to revise the beach area).
- Failing to specify appropriate caging, resulting in rust.
- Failing to specify appropriate metal hardware resulting in rust.
- Failing to meet original specifications resulting in a reduced pool size.
- Failing to provide appropriate sump pump design.
- Failure to design appropriate barriers at pools.
BRS and Vertex failed to fix the issues and reimburse DZF for costs caused by the alleged issues after they were identified and communicated, according to the lawsuit.
Action take by Born Free USA:
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