VIRGINIA KEY, FLA. (WSVN) – Protesters nailed their point as they demand the mayor take action against the Miami Seaquarium.
The Miami Seaquarium has been embroiled in controversy for a while, and on Monday, protesters showed up at a Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava’s office and brought some hardware.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals were outside the mayor’s office.
“How about a two-inch nail was stuck in a dolphin’s throat?” said PETA’s Amanda Brody.
Demonstrators dumped 75 pounds of nails outside Cava’s office after a dolphin at the Miami Seaquarium on Virginia Key was found with a two-inch nail in his throat
“It is time for this filthy dump to be shut down before more animals suffer and die at the Miami Seaquarium,” said Brody.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed more federal animal welfare violations at the decades old marine park, which included that nail in a dolphin’s throat, a seal going painfully blind and a dolphin kicked in the face.
“This is just one of the many citations, in the past, dolphins have ingested plastic, chunks of concrete some of them have rib injuries after they couldn’t escape from their incompatible tank mates,” said Brody.
These latest developments come after Lolita the killer whale, who lived at the park for more than 50 years, died last August.
Since then, several animals have been transferred to other facilities.
Protestors said the mayor can and should end the Seaquarium’s lease.
“Mayor Cava and county commissioners, you have the power to terminate this lease, and do what is right for these animals,” Brody said.
The protesters will launch another action on Friday at an event hosted by the mayor at the Joseph Caleb Auditorium.
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