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PETITION TARGET: Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD)
Former employees of SeaQuest Fort Worth are accusing the aquarium of preventable negligence and callous neglect after several helpless marine animals died, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.
Riley Peninger, a former SeaQuest Fort Worth team member and whistleblower, recalled the deaths of Icarus and Achilles, two nurse sharks who reportedly refused to eat due to the stress of an overcrowded aquarium.
Despite offering several solutions to help the sharks, Peninger claims nothing was done. He came into work on the day that Achilles died to find the shark experiencing convulsions, which was captured in a video taken by another employee.
“I really care for these animals. It’s hard to watch all these animals suffer all the time and going to work every day and walking past all those tanks and just knowing that there’s something that could be done,” Peninger told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.
Activists believe that an additional shark also died due to the confining conditions of the tank. Keeping the sharks — along with nine other animals, in a tank too small for them — was irresponsible and cruel.
Unfortunately, this is not the only account of animal suffering at the aquarium. A video taken by an employee showed that out of about 50 fish transported from Littleton, Colo., to SeaQuest Fort Worth, only eight survived. Animal activists believe the rest died from suffocation.
Considered by many to be an inhumane pet store, SeaQuest aquariums have been repeatedly cited by authorities for unsafe conditions, improper care, and other issues. A recent ABC News investigation found reports of at least 80 citations during a five-year period.
Fort Worth Animal Care and Control has inspected the aquarium multiple times, but has not reported any signs of neglect or animal suffering. Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) is investigating the allegations in the recent string of animal deaths.
Fish are sentient beings who don’t deserve to be treated like objects and forced to live their lives in tiny, confining spaces. Please sign our petition urging FWPD to investigate SeaQuest Fort Worth thoroughly and demand accountability from those responsible for the deaths of these innocent marine animals.
