Controversial Miami Seaquarium Closes Permanently After 70 Years

Miami Seaquarium has finally closed its doors after 70 years of operations.

The Florida-based marine park filed for bankruptcy last year after being evicted from its Virginia Key location by county authorities. It finally closed for good this month.

Miami Seaquarium was one of the oldest in the US, and its closure comes after years of campaigning by animal rights groups. At least 120 whales and dolphins have died on site since it opened, including several notorious incidents in recent years.

In 2023, a 30-year-old dolphin named Sundance died soon after a USDA inspection reported that the animal was suffering from “gastric stress.” A few weeks before, another dolphin was found with a two-inch nail in their throat. Also in 2023, Tokitae, the site’s most famous animal, died of a suspected renal condition after 52 years in a small enclosure at the park. Wild orcas can live for up to 90 years.

Miami Seaquarium’s closure was first announced in 2024, after the Miami-Dade commission served eviction papers to the site’s owner, The Dolphin Company. A letter sent to the company stated that it had failed “to maintain animals in accordance with applicable law,” and described conditions as “deficient and dangerous.”

It also accused The Dolphin Company of violations of its contractual obligations to “keep the property in a good state of repair.” The park forced animals to perform tricks during the day to entertain guests, and reportedly kept them in small, unstimulating enclosures the rest of the time.

‘Marine mammals simply cannot thrive in captivity’

Photo shows the orca Tokitae, commonly known as "Lolita" and Miami Seaquarium's most famous resident, in a tank with spectactors — Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg / Alamy Stock Tokitae, who was also known as “Lolita,” died in 2023 after 52 years at the park

CBS has reported that a potential developer previously indicated it planned to maintain an aquarium at the former Miami Seaquarium site, but that it would not include marine mammals such as whales and dolphins. The remaining animals are due to be transferred to new facilities, but the details are to be confirmed.

Animal rights nonprofit PETA has called for the surviving residents “to be sent to seaside sanctuaries where they can finally get the care they need and live some semblance of natural lives.” Orcas are highly intelligent, sociable, and ecologically important animals that can travel up to 140 miles per day with a pod in the wild.

At the Miami Seaquarium, Tokitae’s tank was just 80 feet long by 35 feet wide, which was thought to be the smallest orca tank in all of North America, per The Whale Sanctuary Project. Tokitae herself was approximately 22 feet long.

Dr Naomi Rose, a marine animal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute and the author of a 2019 report on captive marine mammals, previously said, “Marine mammals simply cannot thrive in captivity. Almost all marine mammal species are wide-ranging predators, and the best we can provide for them are barren concrete boxes or small sea pen corrals.”