State Clamps Down On SeaQuest Bird Exhibit In Littleton

LITTLETON, CO – A exotic animal petting zoo, open since May in a Littleton mall, was issued a cease-and-desist order Monday by the Colorado Department of Agriculture for its public bird aviary.

SeaQuest at the Southwest Plaza mall in Littleton has failed to pass numerous Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act inspections, and a Fox31 investigation found humans crowding into cages, where small birds were walking on the floor. A staff member was recorded on video swiping at the birds with a plastic dustbin to get them to fly off the ground. Fox 31 reported that Dept. of Agriculture inspectors had failed SeaQuest's bird enclosure because animals could be stepped on, a “potentially dangerous situation.” The Ag department also said the“facility (was ) not sanitizing bird enclosures.”

The TV investigation also reported murky tank water, children grabbing sting rays in the petting area and a loose lizard wandering the floor.

The company agreed to reduce the number of birds at the mall to 30 or less, and removed the smallest birds, the parakeets, from the aviary. The company also agreed to limit the number of people who can enter the aviary at once.

"We have complied with everything all regulators have asked of us and are currently in full compliance.... In place of the parakeet aviaries, guests can feed and interact safely with toucans, macaws, umbrella cockatoos, and other more exotic birds,” the company said in a statement.

SeaQuest's locations in Las Vegas, Portland, California, Utah and Texas have been met with complaints and protests from animal rights groups. Former employees have alleged that animals are kept in stressful conditions that lead to their (preventable) deaths.

SeaQuest CEO Vince Covino said in an interview that Colorado had the most stringent animal welfare laws, but the company would do their best to comply.

“We’ll continue to have an ongoing and open relationship with the State and local authorities,” Covino said in an interview aired Monday. “Out of very long list of requirements, there were things here and there that they felt we could upgrade. Other cities and states have not required those things, but to the State of Colorado’s credit, they’ve asked us to raise the bar in several areas and we’ve done so and complied.”

See Fox31's reporting here.

Image via Shutterstock

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