Dead on arrival: Video shows SeaQuest knew risks before shipping animals to Minnesota

SeaQuest is facing new animal cruelty allegations related to the sudden closure of one of its interactive aquariums in Colorado earlier this year.

Several former employees tell 5 INVESTIGATIONS that several marine animals did not survive when SeaQuest tried to move them from Colorado to Minnesota by shipping them in the back of a U-Haul truck in February.

“They arrived frozen in Minnesota. They were in blocks of ice,” said a former SeaQuest Roseville employee, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation from the company.

A similar incident at the SeaQuest site in Texas is now part of a criminal investigation by local police.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) complained to authorities after SeaQuest Fort Worth employees recorded video of several dead fish, rays and sharks that were also trucked from Colorado to Texas shortly after. near the same time.

‘They could be dead‘

An internal video message obtained by 5 INVESTIGATES reveals that SeaQuest officials knew it was risky to truck the animals from Colorado to Minnesota in the dead of winter.

“Today (expletive) sucked,” said David Slater, SeaQuest’s former director of security.

Several former employees say Slater sent the video message from Colorado as the U-Haul truck full of animals was preparing to leave for Minnesota.

“We need to prepare your team for the risk that the few animals you have, from a marine perspective, could be dead,” Slater said in the video. “They all spent a lot of time in their packaging today.”

Slater declined to speak with 5 INVESTIGATIONS about the video and no one else from SeaQuest responded to multiple requests for comment.

Former SeaQuest Roseville employees say Slater’s dire prediction in the video came true.

“In every container they opened, the animals were dead,” one said. “It was devastating to know that so little attention was being paid to the lives of animals.”

Similar to Texas

The incident is the latest development since 5 INVESTIGATES and ABC News first uncovered allegations of animal neglect, shortcuts and public endangerment.

In August, PETA attorney Michelle Sinnott asked the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office to investigate allegations of animal cruelty at SeaQuest Fort Worth.

“Dozens of marine animals died in plastic bags, likely from suffocation, when they were improperly shipped to Fort Worth in a U-Haul after SeaQuest abruptly closed its Littleton, Colorado, location earlier this year,” Sinnott wrote.

The Fort Worth Police Department confirms it received a referral from the District Attorney and has now opened a criminal investigation.

The timing of the incident and details of the allegations are nearly identical to what former SeaQuest Roseville employees described to 5 INVESTIGATIONS.

“The Colorado location had closed down and I don’t know if they had a limited time to get the animals out,” a former employee said. “They have a responsibility to the animals… It was more about, ‘How can we save money?’ How can we do this quickly?’

Investigations extend

The latest allegations regarding the treatment of animals at SeaQuest come as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has opened its own investigation into the company’s Roseville facility.

The DNR confirms it issued SeaQuest a wildlife exhibit permit in 2019 when it opened inside the Rosedale Center mall.

Records obtained show the agency returned to inspect the business twice this year after five INVESTIGATIONS first reported concerns about the safety of animals and guests.

The DNR issued a “notice of violation” to SeaQuest Roseville in late August, but the agency withheld the details, citing an active investigation.

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) previously called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to launch a federal investigation into SeaQuest, which operates in seven states.

During a recent visit to SeaQuest Roseville in August, a USDA inspector cited the company for inadequate veterinary care as well as problems with animal enclosures and sanitation issues.

Last month, McCollum introduced a bill that would expand USDA enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act to cold-blooded animals, including fish and other marine species.

Former employees tell 5 INVESTIGATIONS that they hope this will lead to better protection of people and animals.

“Especially when they close the next SeaQuest, because it’s inevitable at this point that they will,” the former worker said. “I want the DNR to watch, I want the USDA to watch…I want everyone to watch.”