About two months after the SeaQuest aquarium in Roseville closed, all animals that called SeaQuest home have been relocated to other zoos and aquariums.
The Association of Zoos & Aquariums led the relocation effort after SeaQuest declared bankruptcy in December. Some zoos involved in taking animals include the Como Zoo and Conservatory, the Minnesota Zoo, SEA LIFE at the Mall of America and the Lake Superior Zoo.
SeaQuest was an interactive aquarium, exotic mammal and reptile attraction chain found in malls across the U.S. Besides Roseville, locations exist across Utah, Nevada, California and New Jersey.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources investigated the Roseville location after records revealed animals were not up to date on vaccines, multiple instances of unsafe conditions leading to the animals biting people and evidence of injured and dead animals, KSTP reported.
The Minnesota Zoo Director of Animal Control Kurt Heizmann said around 1,400 animals needed rehoming after SeaQuest’s closure. The Minnesota Zoo took in 128, including 14 mammals, a few invertebrates, several reptiles and more than 100 marine fish.
To ensure their health, all animals were placed into a quarantine process and evaluated before being placed into exhibits for the public to see, Heizmann said. Some of the fish came to the zoo with marine parasites, while some animals were either dangerously overweight or underweight.
“So far, most of the mammals have been relatively healthy. And so we’ve had a few concerns but nothing that we don’t have the staff and knowledge to be able to treat and get these animals into a good spot,” Heizmann said.
Como Zoo took on two porcupines from SeaQuest themselves, Senior Zookeeper Jill Erzar said.
Erzar said working with AZA and SeaQuest to get the animals went smoothly. The animals were picked up on March 4 and went through a minimum of a 30-day quarantine.
“We’re looking for any parasites that they may have that way. Then, we’re looking for anything that might flag us on a physical, as far as blood disorders or viruses or bacteria that maybe we don’t see actual symptoms of yet,” Erzar said. “Then the other thing that we take into account with quarantine is if there’s, if they have the ability to transfer to any other animals in the area.”
The porcupines have settled in the cat building at Como Zoo, eliminating any chance of them transmitting an illness, Erza added.
When Como Zoo received an email about the SeaQuest animal removal, Erza said the situation felt urgent but they ended up having to wait around, which allowed them time to prepare and clear out the animals.
“It just kind of seemed like there was a lot of hoopla about that, this was a horrible place for them to be and that wasn’t really what we saw when we were there,” Ezra said. “The people caring for them were great. They did everything possible in their power that they could do.”
Becky Duchild, the SEA LIFE curator, said over 600 fish and nine reptiles came from SeaQuest. The animals are about halfway through quarantine and have not experienced any health concerns.
Duchild said the experience with SeaQuest went well, as the people involved moved at SEA LIFE’s pace to ensure the animals were transported safely. Semi-trucks with oxygen-monitored and temperature-controlled tanks and transport bins were used to move the animals from one location to another safely.
The Lake Superior Zoo got almost 200 animals from the Roseville location. In total, six different AZA-accredited and two non-AZA-accredited facilities were involved in rehoming the animals, according to a press release.
Heizmann said he is glad these animals were given a second chance at life.
“It didn’t start with the best of experiences or the best of scenarios,” Heizmann said. “So finding ways that you can help remedy and give these animals an additional chance or a new start and potentially to live a happy and long life.”