State Of NJ Issued Warning To Woodbridge SeaQuest In 2021

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Last week, we reported how an exotic flying squirrel was accidentally crushed to death in a door last June at the SeaQuest aquarium inside the Woodbridge Center Mall.

The squirrel's death was recorded in a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, and confirmed by a SeaQuest corporate spokeswoman, who said the aquarium has since replaced its doors with magnetic screens.

Now this week, Patch has learned that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a written warning to the Woodbridge mall SeaQuest in April 2021.

The state said SeaQuest committed a number of violations: First, the DEP said marketing photos Woodbridge SeaQuest posted on their Facebook page showed children holding exotic reptiles and animals that were not registered with the state. SeaQuest posted photos of an armadillo and a wallaby, neither of which were listed on their 2021 inventory reports, required to be filed with the state. Another photo showed a child near a sloth, which the state actually classifies as a potentially dangerous animal.

The DEP said if SeaQuest was showing animals found at their many other locations across the nation, it should be noted on Facebook that those animals are not at the Woodbridge facility.

Finally, SeaQuest had not filed any health certificates for new animal acquisitions, according to the state.

"There are several photos on (SeaQuest's) Facebook page that show children holding regulated reptiles and birds," wrote the DEP in their April 27, 2021 letter to SeaQuest." Additionally, there is a photograph of a child in the sloth enclosure, which is classified as a potentially dangerous species in New Jersey. There are also photos containing a Patagonian Cavy, an armadillo, and a wallaby, none of which are listed on the permit, 2021 inventory list, or quarterly reports."

The state issued a written warning to SeaQuest, and no fines were issued. But in their letter, the DEP said if SeaQuest did not remedy the mistakes, they risked having their wild animal permits revoked.

However, "the company provided the required information and there have been no further issues," said DEP spokeswoman Caryn Shinske this week.

A SeaQuest spokeswoman did not immediately respond when Patch asked about the written warning.

Also in that April 2021 letter, the DEP also reminded SeaQuest that New Jersey is a "no-contact state," meaning that it is illegal for SeaQuest visitors to hold "regulated exotic and non-game wildlife; hand-feed regulated and exotic wildlife" and "exhibit any potentially dangerous wildlife outside of approved cages."

The following are the only wild animals approved for interactions with the public in New Jersey:

• Various turtle species, feeding
• Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth, feeding
• Asian small-clawed otter, feeding
• Various reptile species, two-finger touch

The USDA issued what's called a "critical citation" to the Woodbridge SeaQuest due to the death of the flying squirrel. However, it did not levy any fines.

SeaQuest encourages children and visitors to interact with their wild animals. In addition to Woodbridge, there are SeaQuests in Utah, Texas, Las Vegas, California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Virginia and Georgia.

However, last year their Utah location was cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture after guests were bitten by a kinkajou and otter. That inspection report is available here. Also in 2021, a child was bitten by an otter at the Trumbull, Connecticut SeaQuest and an employee started hitting an otter with a metal bowl after the otter jumped on him, according to the USDA. You can read that report here: https://www.peta.org/wp-conten...

Prior reporting on the Woodbridge Center Mall SeaQuest:

Flying Squirrel Crushed In Door At Woodbridge Mall SeaQuest (March 2021)

Criticism Mounts At SeaQuest Aquarium At Woodbridge Center Mall (Jan. 2020)

Owner Of SeaQuest Aquarium In Woodbridge Responds To Criticism (Jan. 2020)

Get great local news about YOUR town and state. Sign up to get Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com