Speak Up for Animals Neglected at Interactive Aquariums

Interactive aquariums and indoor petting zoos are cruel. Animals are typically deprived of veterinary care, confined to cramped, crowded enclosures, and forced into direct contact with visitors, which often results in visitors getting injured. Wild animals don’t want to interact with humans, and subjecting them to a barrage of unnatural, direct-contact encounters with the public is both stressful for them and dangerous for everyone involved.

Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve, the San Antonio Aquarium, and the Austin Aquarium are all operated by members of the Covino family. Ammon Covino is involved in the management of these facilities and is a convicted wildlife trafficker. At the now-closed Portland Aquarium in Oregon, which was also owned by the Covinos, more than 200 animals—including seahorses, stingrays, garden eels, bamboo sharks, and other species of fish—allegedly died in just a few months due to starvation, infections, and other seemingly preventable causes.

Covino-owned aquariums have an ever-growing list of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) citations:

• The Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve received a critical citation on two separate occasions for failing to maintain the mesh of a bird enclosure that resulted in the escape of an eclectus parrot and 40 parakeets, none of whom were recovered.
• The San Antonio Aquarium received a critical citation and an official warning after a female African crested porcupine was killed by a male porcupine due to incompatibility issues and inadequate barriers.
• The Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve and the San Antonio Aquarium have both been cited for failing to keep animals’ enclosures at proper temperatures, which could be detrimental to animals’ health and well-being.
• Austin Aquarium was cited for confining an 8-week-old lemur in a crate that was too small, for flies swarming around a capybara, and after inspectors observed two otters exhibiting abnormal behavior, which is a sign of severe psychological distress.
• And there are many more.

Since the USDA has failed to prevent these aquariums from exploiting animals, it’s up to kind people like you to speak up for their victims.

Please take action below to tell the Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve, the San Antonio Aquarium, and the Austin Aquarium to stop exploiting animals and transfer them all to reputable facilities where they could get the care they deserve—before more die.

Send comments to the Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve:

Comment on the Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve’s social media pages:

Urge the San Antonio Aquarium to switch to animal-free entertainment:

Comment on the San Antonio Aquarium’s social media pages:

Contact the San Antonio Aquarium by using its online form:

Take action for animals at Austin Aquarium:

Comment on Austin Aquarium’s social media pages:

Contact Austin Aquarium by using its online form: