# Miami Aquarium?



## TortoiseRacket (Dec 27, 2018)

Has anyone gone to the Miami aquarium? I took a trip there last year and what I saw really upset me. They had a sulcata and 2 Redfoots in an inclosure with a large pond that housed flamingos. All very pyramided. (probably from eating a lot of fish!) They also had a 5x3 redfoot enclosure housing 7 adult Redfoots with out a water bowl. They had parrots right next to them, and when the wind blew, the tortoises got rained on by parrot droppings. There were also wild iguanas and one smaller redfoot looked like he may have gotten a bite. There were many workers, none cared about the reptiles, just selling stuff. Also, I forgot to mention-
When we were walking out, a large curly tailed lizard was running around the plaza, and a careless worker gave it a dorito! What do you guys think about this and have you ever been there?
-Mickey


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## Lisa shumac (Jan 20, 2019)

Are you talking about the Miami Seaquarium? I have driven by hundreds of times but absolutely refuse to give a cent to the business that keeps Lolita, who is internet famous as the loneliest, most neglected whale on Earth. I expect the conditions of all their animals to be similar. Hopefully in a generation or two businesses will realize that the public doesn't want to see suffering animals for entertainment anymore.


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## TortoiseRacket (Jan 20, 2019)

Lisa shumac said:


> Are you talking about the Miami Seaquarium? I have driven by hundreds of times but absolutely refuse to give a cent to the business that keeps Lolita, who is internet famous as the loneliest, most neglected whale on Earth. I expect the conditions of all their animals to be similar. Hopefully in a generation or two businesses will realize that the public doesn't want to see suffering animals for entertainment anymore.


Yes, I think so. Thanks for replying!


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## ZEROPILOT (Jan 21, 2019)

The place is a Hell Hole.
I have no idea how it stays open.


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## DanB (Jan 21, 2019)

Place should be shut down. Sad thing is all the tourist that come here keep it open.


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## cdmay (Jan 21, 2019)

You know, this is another thread in which I will be dating myself...
BUT, once upon a time the Seaquarium on Virginia Key was THE NUMBER ONE public aquarium in the country. True. 
In the 1960s that place was way ahead of its time. The two main aquariums were kept in pristine condition and in the one building there were smaller aquaria that ringed the wall in the lower levels. These were likewise well planned and beautiful. 
In the early 70s this was the first place were one could see African cichlids on display in habitat correct set ups.
The gardens that surrounded the various outdoor ponds and saltwater canals were lush and planted out with rare plants and palms. 
They had everything on display too including big sharks and rays, sea turtles, giant Goliath grouper—then known as jewfish—that were every bit of seven feet long.
The TV show Flipper was filmed in Biscayne Bay in a set that was in the back of the Seaquarium and my older brother Jimmy actually got to watch them film the show a couple of times.
There was this old mini monorail that would carry riders above the entire complex. Each monorail car was done up to resemble a sailfish, a dolphin, a shark and so on. It was REALLY cool!

It is true that they also maintained intelligent mammals in tanks that today we know are far, far, far too small. But back then, they didn’t know any better.
I also remember when they got their first orca who was names Hugo after some dude that had just sailed across the Atlantic in a tiny 8 foot sailboat.
Lolita came a year or so later.
Again, they kept these poor things in tanks that were essentially bathtubs. Horrible. But they just figured it was OK. Not totally innocent, but not as well informed as we are now either.

Fast forward to the 80s. The Seaquarium was really falling apart. The gardens were neglected, the various aquaria were an afterthought and many were actually empty! 
The staff was comprised of low interest, low intelligence workers and nobody seemed to care. The monorail still operated but the cars were shabby and the old motif of each car had been broken off so they were just dirty boxes.
As a kid who grew up being in awe of the place I was heartbroken by what it had become.

Now, it’s just as you folks have described....a mastodon looking for the nearest tar pit to fall into. It’s horrible.
As for Lolita, I try and rationalize that she and Hugo at least gave children a glimmer of how awesome orcas are. Maybe, they helped a generation or two to care about them.


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## CandyAss (Jan 21, 2019)

It doesn't seem to be on the list of AZA accredited institutions. That doesn't always mean that a place is bad, but it's a good starting point for researching before you go.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jan 21, 2019)

cdmay said:


> You know, this is another thread in which I will be dating myself...
> BUT, once upon a time the Seaquarium on Virginia Key was THE NUMBER ONE public aquarium in the country. True.
> In the 1960s that place was way ahead of its time. The two main aquariums were kept in pristine condition and in the one building there were smaller aquaria that ringed the wall in the lower levels. These were likewise well planned and beautiful.
> In the early 70s this was the first place were one could see African cichlids on display in habitat correct set ups.
> ...


I also remember Cranden park and Planet Ocean. Not far away.


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## Okapizebra (Jan 22, 2019)

I do not like how they treat Lolita. It may have be acceptable at the time to keep orcas like that. But they certainly must know better by now and to my knowledge have not attempted to make her life better. I will not go there.


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