A just-released inspection report shows that SeaQuest was cited again by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for violating the federal Animal Welfare Act. On May 1, the USDA inspected SeaQuest Folsom, in California, and found it to be jeopardizing the health and welfare of sloths by failing to provide the correct temperature and humidity in their enclosures. These conditions were also below healthy ranges two weeks before the inspection, according to SeaQuest’s logs.
A drop in temperature and humidity can be deadly for sloths, disrupting their digestion and causing them to starve. And this is far from the first time SeaQuest has failed them: This year, a whistleblower from the SeaQuest in Trumbull, Connecticut, reported that a sloth had fallen to the floor after his nails broke off, likely because they had become dry, cracked, and weakened due to dehydration and an insufficiently humid environment.
In July 2020, a 1-year-old sloth named Flash died at SeaQuest Las Vegas. He was thin when he died and had a history of weakness, twitching, and lack of appetite. Just nine months later, in April 2021, another sloth (also named Flash) died under similar circumstances at the same facility.
SeaQuest has a horrible track record with sloths. Why is the chain still allowed to keep them?
SeaQuest Profits While Animals Suffer
Animal suffering appears to be of little concern to the infamous Vince Covino, owner of the SeaQuest chain. While he profits, his businesses regularly rack up USDA citations—SeaQuest was recently slapped with a $4,500 fine over numerous cases in which animals bit members of the public at multiple locations and an incident in which a door crushed a flying squirrel to death.
The recent animal welfare failures of SeaQuest Folsom are just the latest in a years-long pattern of neglect by the facility that has resulted in a string of USDA citations. Incidents include failing to maintain the safety and sanitation of the Bengal cat enclosure, failing to keep adequate records of the animals, and having excessive flies throughout the facility, which poses a risk of disease to the animals.
SeaQuest’s other facilities across the country are no better: Hundreds of animals have died there, and the USDA has issued numerous citations for inadequate animal care, improper maintenance, and injuries to the public. Animals are in danger every minute they’re imprisoned at SeaQuest and at the mercy of animal exploiters who fail to give them even the most basic care. Steer clear of this seedy chain, where animals suffer for the sake of human entertainment and the only thing that runs wild is neglect.
Help Animals at SeaQuest
SeaQuest facilities are plagued by animal welfare issues, animal deaths, legal violations, and injuries to employees and the public from direct contact with animals. Please take a series of rapid actions for the animals imprisoned at SeaQuest:
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