The long troubled Miami Seaquarium has officially closed after seventy years, and now we finally know what will happen to the dolphins, penguins, reptiles and other captive animals who lived there. According to reporting from the Miami Herald, newly filed court documents reveal a nationwide relocation plan that will disperse the remaining Seaquarium residents to facilities across the country as the bankrupt park hands over its waterfront lease to developer David Martin.
Some dolphins will be sent as far as the Indianapolis Zoo, while others will take a shorter trip to marine centers in the Florida Keys. One dolphin was already moved to the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago. A group of flamingos will head to NOVA Wild in Virginia, and eleven African penguins are bound for a zoo in Kansas. The filings also detail donations of sea lions, harbor seals and several exotic reptiles to zoos and sanctuaries from Florida to Seattle.
This reshuffling marks the final chapter for the Virginia Key property before Martin begins transforming the site into a marina and entertainment complex. While that plan includes a new aquarium, many people in the movement for animal welfare are hoping for a future where entertainment does not rely on captive wildlife and where plant-based living and compassionate tourism take center stage…