Officials Move to Terminate Miami Seaquarium’s Lease

After a years-long PETA campaign that included lawsuits, celebrity ads, letters to county officials, and lively rallies, including this month at the Miami-Dade County Mayor’s Office—along with a decade of weekly protests by local activists—the county has finally announced that it’s moving to revoke the Miami Seaquarium’s lease, marking the beginning of the end for this animal prison. Authorities must now move quickly to shut down this notorious facility.

PETA has champagne on ice and is preparing to celebrate the day the animals are finally freed from the dilapidated concrete tanks where the long-suffering orca Lolita and so many others lived and died in misery.

Compassionate people in Miami and around the world have joined with PETA and celebrities including Paulina Rubio, Kate del Castillo, Natasha Araos, Alicia Machado, Dr. Ana María Polo, Alan Cumming, and the late Bob Barker to raise awareness of the problems at the Seaquarium.

The Seaquarium recently received a Notice of Intent to Confiscate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding four marine mammals currently housed there—marking the first time the agency has taken such an action in 30 years. According to reports, county officials will work with the USDA to “chart the most appropriate course forward, always prioritizing the best interests of the animals” remaining at the marine park.

You can join PETA in thanking Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for this exciting progress. But our work isn’t over yet. We must continue to urge the mayor and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners to swiftly shut down the Seaquarium.