Amid growing concerns about the safety of animals and guests, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued an official warning to SeaQuest Roseville that the interactive aquarium could be in violation of federal law. 

The notice issued by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) involves an alleged violation from September when inspectors cited SeaQuest Roseville for a lack of “adequate veterinary care” involving two wallabies housed at the aquarium inside the Rosedale Center shopping mall. 

SeaQuest has been under increasing scrutiny since 5 INVESTIGATES and ABC News launched a joint investigation in February uncovering incidents putting animals, guests, and employees in danger. 

Now SeaQuest’s one-time corporate marketing coordinator, Lana Westbrook, is the latest former employee to publicly criticize the company. 

“I really want this situation with SeaQuest to open the door for the larger conversation that needs to be had about why these types of facilities are allowed to operate,” Westbrook said.

SeaQuest released Westbrook from her non-disclosure agreement on Thursday as part of a settlement that dismissed a lawsuit against her. The company previously accused Westbrook of violating her NDA when she created a private Facebook group for employees.

“The employees I met out of your location, they felt like, ‘oh, it’s only happening here in Minnesota and it’s only happening to me,’” Westbrook said. “When, in fact, from the corporate angle, I’m seeing that it’s every facility, all employees, all locations, and that everyone was kind of having the same experiences and trauma.”

SeaQuest did not respond to requests for comment about the settlement with Westbrook or the new warning from the USDA. 

As 5 INVESTIGATES first reported, SeaQuest filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month, revealing a steep drop in revenues over the last two years. 

For now, SeaQuest Roseville and four other locations across the country remain open. 

“As a parent, you’re like, ‘wow, look at this amazing place. I can take my child to,’” Westbrook said. “And you have no clue what is really going on behind the scenes.”

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