The Denver Zoo and Downtown Aquarium Denver are now home to more animals in the wake of the closure of SeaQuest Littleton earlier this month.
“We’re fortunate to have the space, resources and animal health and care expertise to provide the best possible care for these animals,” Bert Vescolani, the Denver Zoo’s president and CEO, said in a news release, “and (the zoo is) happy we could assist in this coordinated effort to give them a great new home.”
The “animals are getting acquainted with their new habitats” and “will be viewable to guests and members soon,” the zoo said. The animals, including a keel-billed toucan, red-necked wallabies, African pancake tortoises, a New Guinea blue-tongued skink and many others, are being monitored and evaluated at the zoo’s Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Animal Hospital and its Tropical Discovery.
SeaQuest is a national aquarium business that allows visitors to interact with its aquatic and non-aquatic animals. People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, also known as PETA, has criticized the company for several years.
SeaQuest Littleton, in unincorporated Jefferson County, was one of eight company locations in the U.S. The Littleton venue had received multiple local citations and complaints.
Colorado Community Media reported that SeaQuest Littleton’s Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife license was suspended in 2019. At that time, the aquarium was required to remove roughly two dozen species of fish, birds and mammals that fall under CPW’s definition of wildlife, totaling roughly 200 animals. The aquarium replaced the removed animals with others that didn’t fall under the CPW licensing umbrella.
Following the suspension, SeaQuest did not apply for a license, a CPW spokesperson told Colorado Community Media in a story reporting on the aquarium’s recent closure. As a result, SeaQuest Littleton had not held a CPW license since 2019.
Several recent inspection reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed non-compliant issues at the aquarium. Examples include inadequate handling or control of animals during public interactions, unsupervised public interaction with animals, enclosure disrepair, animal injuries, insufficient sanitation and failure to document medication delivery.
A company statement on Facebook did not say specifically why SeaQuest Littleton closed, but said it will continue its operations in “states that support (its) interactive business model.”
The Denver Zoo has taken in about 130 SeaQuest animals. Some of the rehomed creatures are new species to the zoo.
“We have a number of rescued animals living here at the zoo and take the responsibility of bringing in these animals very seriously,” Vescolani said in the news release.
The Denver Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is home to about 3,000 animals.
