Speak Up for Animals Neglected at SeaQuest and Other Atrocious Aquariums
SeaQuest aquariums are cruel indoor mall petting zoos where animals have been deprived of veterinary care, confined to cramped enclosures, and forced into direct contact with visitors—some of whom they’ve 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.
SeaQuest, the Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve, the San Antonio Aquarium, and Austin Aquarium are all operated by members of the Covino family. Vince Covino owns SeaQuest, and his brother Ammon, who is a convicted wildlife trafficker, is involved in the management of the Houston, San Antonio, and Austin facilities. 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.
SeaQuest and the other Covino-owned aquariums have an ever-growing list of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) citations:
- SeaQuest was cited after an employee hit otters with a metal food bowl.
- SeaQuest was cited after five sugar gliders horrifically died after they became trapped in a PVC pipe and a wallaby named Ben drowned in a tank because he didn’t have any way to climb out.
- 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 their health and well-being.
- Austin Aquarium was cited 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 SeaQuest, the Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve, the San Antonio Aquarium, and Austin Aquarium to stop exploiting animals and transfer them all to reputable facilities where they could get the care they deserve—before more die.
Speak up for animals at SeaQuest:
Comment on SeaQuest’s social media pages:
Call the SeaQuest facilities below and ask them to send all the animals there to reputable facilities where they could receive proper veterinary care and live in a more natural environment that meets their complex needs.
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:
