KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. \u2014 Animal rights activists gathered outside the Miami Seaquarium on Saturday, celebrating its upcoming closure.<\/p>\n
Protesters said it\u2019s long overdue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw this coming,\u201d said Holly, an activist with SoFlo Animal Rights. \u201cThis was coming for a long, long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The facility, which opened in 1955, will officially close on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Seaquarium, currently operated by The Dolphin Company, is shutting down as it undergoes bankruptcy proceedings in federal court.<\/p>\n
Miami developer Terra Group plans to redevelop the site \u2014 without marine mammals, a move activists cautiously support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to ensure the redevelopment plans for this project do not include any kind of captivity of animals,\u201d said Juan Endara, co-founder of SoFlo Animal Rights.<\/p>\n
The future of the animals still inside the facility remains unclear.<\/p>\n
The Seaquarium has long been a staple of Miami tourism, offering generations of families the chance to see dolphins, sea lions and other marine animals up close. But in recent years, public sentiment has shifted, especially after the death of Lolita \u2014 the world\u2019s oldest orca in captivity \u2014 who died shortly before a planned release into the ocean.<\/p>\n
Her death, along with a series of federal inspection reports citing animal welfare violations and infrastructure issues, intensified calls for the facility\u2019s closure. The county eventually moved to terminate the lease and evict the operator, prompting the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.<\/p>\n
Activists hope the Seaquarium\u2019s closure sparks broader reform.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaptivity is a death sentence,\u201d one protester said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lifetime of humiliation. The animals cannot do anything normal or natural. They\u2019re trapped in tiny tanks, while in the wild they have the entire ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n
Supporters plan to return to the Seaquarium on Sunday afternoon \u2014 not to protest, but to celebrate what they see as a long-overdue victory for marine life.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfe0 News From Your Neighborhood<\/p>\n
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