Growing up in South Florida, the Miami Seaquarium was always there, a postcard image of dolphins leaping in the sun. But for many of us in the Vegan and animal rights community, it represented something far darker. After years of protests, petitions, and painful headlines, the Seaquarium is finally closing its doors.
The park’s last day of operation is set for October 12, marking the end of nearly 70 years of animal captivity on Virginia Key. The once-celebrated attraction, famous for its orca shows and marine exhibits, is being sold for $22.5 million to developer David Martin and his firm, Terra. Plans are already underway to transform the site into a waterfront destination featuring restaurants, shops, and a public baywalk along Biscayne Bay.
While local leaders, including Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, have called this a “new chapter in marine life education and Biscayne Bay preservation,” those words ring differently for those of us who have stood outside those gates in protest. Over 250 marine animals have died since the Seaquarium first opened, including Lolita, the beloved yet tragic orca who spent more than five decades performing before dying in 2023 from chronic illness and old age.
I have been at those protests. I have listened to activists who risked arrest to capture footage inside, determined to reveal the truth about life in those cramped tanks. The facility changed ownership, promised improvements, and spoke of modernization, yet little changed for the animals trapped within.
One of those longtime voices for the animals is Susan Hargreaves, founder of Be an Animal Hero and Animal Hero Kids. BE an Animal Hero/Animal Hero Kids education programs, demonstrations, original books, and films educate about wildlife coexistence and advocate for all animals to live free from human harm. For decades, she and her team have educated youth and adults on compassion and coexistence, often standing on the frontlines of demonstrations calling for the Seaquarium’s closure. As she put it:
Thank you to all of those who spoke up to make people aware that dolphins, seals, orcas, and all wildlife want to be free in their natural home. Contact The Dolphin Company/Miami Seaquarium management and Edwin Gonzalez, the Regional Director for the US Facilities, and/or Robert Wagstaff, who is the Chief Restructuring Officer for TDC, and ask them to send the animals to sanctuaries.
Her statement underscores a point echoed by many advocates that this closure must not simply shift the problem elsewhere but truly mark the end of marine captivity in South Florida.
Now, as the remaining marine mammals await relocation, questions remain. Former staff and advocates like Valerie Warren have voiced concerns about the older animals’ ability to survive transport. Without a clear, science-backed plan, relocation could bring even more suffering.
Groups like PETA are calling for the animals to be sent to seaside sanctuaries rather than moved to other Dolphin Company facilities. Their message echoes what the Vegan movement has been saying for decades: these intelligent beings deserve freedom, not repackaged captivity.
Adding to that concern, Spencer Roberts, a marine ecologist and PhD student at the University of Miami, highlighted the need for continued public pressure to ensure the site’s redevelopment truly represents progress.
The Miami Seaquarium shutting down and the new developer committing to end marine mammal captivity on the site is a huge step forward. However, they’ve made concerning proposals about keeping or even expanding the aquarium.
Nothing he’s proposed is set in stone though, so we still have a window to push the county and the developer toward a sanctuary and wildlife rehab model and urge them to seek permits to safely release the hundreds of fish at MSQ that were captured from the wild.
His insight reminds us that while closure is a milestone, the fight for accountability and ethical redevelopment continues.
As the debate over what comes next unfolds, other local experts are offering a hopeful vision for the future of Virginia Key, one that replaces captivity with compassion and conservation. Among them is Grace Van de Pas, Florida Animal Rescue Alliance Animal Welfare Operations Director, who shared her thoughts on how the property could serve a higher purpose:
“Right now, when a manatee or sea turtle gets hit by a boat in Miami, they have to go all the way down to the Keys for treatment. We also need to massively ramp up our coral restoration efforts. A rescue and rehab facility would not only be a lifeline for local wildlife, but an actual draw for tourism instead of yet another aquarium.”
Her words reflect the growing call to transform the site into a true rescue and rehabilitation center, a place where education and preservation coexist rather than conflict.
As a lifelong South Floridian, I feel both relief and responsibility. Relief that the suffering at the Seaquarium is ending, and responsibility to ensure the cycle does not continue elsewhere. This is not just about one facility closing. It is about reimagining our relationship with marine life altogether.
For many of us, this moment is bittersweet. It is the funeral for a symbol of exploitation, but it is also a chance for healing, compassion, and renewal. As the Seaquarium fades into history, let us make sure empathy takes its place on Virginia Key.
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