Aquarium company shutters Fort Worth mall location in wake of whistleblower allegations
A national aquarium chain has permanently closed its location in a Fort Worth mall months after former employees leaked footage of dozens of dead and dying marine animals at the facility.
The Star-Telegram confirmed on Monday, Oct. 28, that the SeaQuest Aquarium in the Ridgmar Mall had closed its doors for good.
“Closed to the public,” a sign taped to the door read. “We apologize for the inconvenience. Have a fin-tastic day!!”
Another handwritten note taped to the door advised former employees to leave their shirts and badges at the door.
It is unclear why the location closed. A manager on site declined to answer questions, and the company did not return an email seeking comment.
“Champagne corks are popping at PETA now that this blight on beautiful Fort Worth has finally stopped exploiting animals and endangering the public,” says PETA Foundation Associate Director Molly Johnson in a press release. “The SeaQuest chain is a scourge, and PETA will continue to call out its dreadful and deadly petting zoos until every location follows suit and closes.”
In August, three former employees of the aquarium came out as whistleblowers, alleging that a culture of negligence and poor facilities management led to the starving deaths of two sharks and the likely suffocations of dozens of other animals at the SeaQuest aquarium.
Overcrowding had stressed a pair of nurse sharks to the point that they had stopped eating, ultimately dying of starvation, the whistleblowers said.
The animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals published a video of one of the sharks thrashing about in a tank, allegedly experiencing death throes.
PETA also published a video of employees unpacking dozens of bags of fish and other marine animals that allegedly died while in transit from another SeaQuest location in Colorado.
The Fort Worth Police Department opened an investigation into the aquarium following the allegations in August. The investigation was closed at the end of September after it was determined that the police department was not the appropriate agency to investigate, a police spokesperson said.
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The aquarium was cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture multiple times in 2024, mostly for sanitation issues in the animal pens.
The aquarium was cited in January for cramped and unsanitary conditions in enclosures for otters, porcupines and other animals. It received another citation in August for unsanitary conditions in a duck enclosure.
In September, PETA posted billboards on thoroughfares leading to the mall that urged drivers not to patronize the aquarium.
“Animals suffer and die at mall aquariums,” the billboards read. “DON’T GO!”
Animals like sloths, parrots and other birds could be observed through the glass doors of the aquarium on Monday, Oct. 28.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which grants SeaQuest’s license, said the Animal Welfare Act does not require the company to notify the department of a transfer of animals or obtain authorization to move them.
The Humane Society of the United States urged the company to move the animals to accredited shelters, rather than other SeaQuest locations.
“The horrific mall-based wild animal petting zoos are plagued with animal deaths, injured children and adults, and more than 100 federal Animal Welfare Act violations over the last five years,” said Alex Gamez, the organization’s state director for Texas, in a statement.
“While this may be the end of this SeaQuest location, we hope that the mall doesn’t allow another petting zoo to move into the space.,” he said. “We urge the Ridgmar Mall and other shopping centers across the country to strongly reconsider ever hosting these cruel, inhumane exhibitions where animals are confined with no access to fresh air, sunlight or proper care, and are forced into stressful, inappropriate interactions with the public, day after day.”
Debbie Leahy, a senior strategist of captive wildlife for the Humane Society, said it is the company’s prerogative what to do with the animals.
“We may never learn what happens to these animals unless SeaQuest announces it or a whistleblower comes forward,” she said. “These animals are considered SeaQuest’s property, so they can send them anywhere they want.”
SeaQuest’s CEO resigned in August, the PETA press release states, and the company has closed several locations across the country in recent months. PETA also took credit for stopping the company opening new locations in three other states.
SeaQuest still has five aquariums in operation in the county, according to its website.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 10:27 AM.
