SeaQuest is facing new allegations of animal cruelty related to the sudden closure of one of its interactive aquariums in Colorado earlier this year. 

Multiple former employees tell 5 INVESTIGATES that several marine animals did not survive when SeaQuest attempted to relocate them from Colorado to Minnesota by shipping the animals in the back of a U-Haul truck in February. 

“They showed up frozen in Minnesota. They were in blocks of ice,” said one former employee of SeaQuest Roseville, who asked not to be identified out of fear of retribution from the company.

A similar incident at the SeaQuest location in Texas is now part of a criminal investigation by local police. 

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) complained to authorities after employees at SeaQuest Fort Worth recorded video of several dead fish, rays, and sharks that were also transported by truck from Colorado to Texas around the same time. 

‘They could be dead‘

An internal video message obtained by 5 INVESTIGATES reveals SeaQuest managers knew it was risky to transport the animals by truck from Colorado to Minnesota in the middle of winter. 

“Today (expletive) sucked,” said David Slater, former SeaQuest safety director. 

Multiple former employees say Slater sent the video message from Colorado as the U-Haul truck full of animals was preparing to leave for Minnesota.

“We need to prepare your team for the potential for the, the few animals that you do have, marine wise, they could be dead,” Slater said in the video. “They all — all these guys spent a lot of time in their packaging today.”

Slater declined to speak with 5 INVESTIGATES about the video and no one else from SeaQuest has responded to multiple requests for comment.  

Former SeaQuest Roseville employees say Slater’s dire prediction in the video came true. 

“Every single container that they opened, the animals were dead,” one said. “It was devastating to know that so little care was put into the lives of the animals.”

Similar to Texas

The incident is the latest development since 5 INVESTIGATES and ABC News first uncovered allegations of animal neglect, cutting corners, and putting the public in danger. 

In August, Michelle Sinnott, an attorney for PETA, asked the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office to investigate allegations of animal cruelty at SeaQuest Fort Worth. 

“Dozens of marine animals died in plastic bags, likely suffocating to death, when shipped inappropriately to Fort Worth in a U-Haul after SeaQuest abruptly shut down its Littleton Colorado location earlier this year,” wrote Sinnott. 

The Fort Worth Police Department confirms it received a referral from the District Attorney and has now opened a criminal investigation. 

The timing of the incident and the details of the allegations are nearly identical to what former employees at SeaQuest Roseville described to 5 INVESTIGATES. 

“The Colorado site had shut down and I don’t know if they had a limited amount of time to get the animals out,” one former employee said. “They have a responsibility to the animals… It was more about, ‘How can we save money? How can we do this quickly?’” 

Investigations expanding

The latest allegations about the treatment of animals at SeaQuest come as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has opened its own investigation into the company’s facility in Roseville. 

The DNR confirms it issued SeaQuest a wildlife exhibition permit in 2019 when it opened inside the Rosedale Center mall.

Records obtained show the agency returned to inspect the business twice this year after 5 INVESTIGATES first reported concerns about the safety of animals and guests. 

The DNR issued a “notice of violations” to SeaQuest Roseville at the end of August, but the agency withheld specifics, citing an active investigation. 

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) previously called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to launch a federal investigation of SeaQuest, which operates in seven states. 

During a recent visit to SeaQuest Roseville in August, a USDA inspector cited the company for inadequate veterinary care as well as for problems with animal enclosures and sanitation issues.

Last month, McCollum introduced a bill that would expand the USDA enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act to include cold-blooded animals, including fish and other marine life. 

Former employees tell 5 INVESTIGATES they hope it leads to better protections for people and animals.

“Especially when they close the next SeaQuest because it’s inevitable at this point that they will,” the former worker said. “I want the DNR watching, I want the USDA watching… I want everyone watching.”