PETA calls for Trumbull SeaQuest probe after whistleblower complaint

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The SeaQuest interactive aquarium at the Trumbull mall.

Photo provided by a whistleblower that the PETA Foundation says shows a Bengal cat that was confined to a cramped crate for over two months while undergoing treatment for parasites.

TRUMBULL — The Foundation to Support Animal Protection, also known as the PETA Foundation, is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate what it describes as potential violations to animal welfare laws at the SeaQuest aquarium in the Trumbull Mall, documents show.

According to the April 27 complaint, filed by Rebecca Smudzinski, the foundation's manager of captive animal welfare, an anonymous whistleblower reported to the nonprofit that two Bengal cats went over a month without receiving veterinary care for ear infections, staff deprived cockatiels of food to "force them to interact with members of the public" and parakeets frequently struggled to expel eggs — or were "egg-bound" — and most didn't receive care, among other issues.

The former employee also said there was an ongoing cockroach and fruit fly infestation at the facility, and a Bengal cat and two cockatiels were confined to cramped cages for at least two months, the documents show.

Officials at Boise-based SeaQuest did not respond to a request for comment.

Other allegations outlined in the complaint include the whistleblower being scratched on the arm by a wallaby, bitten on the hand by an Amazon parrot and an otter, the documents show. The wallaby also has a track record of causing injury to members of the public, according to the complaint.

Michelle Sinnott, the PETA Foundation's director of captive animal enforcement, said the USDA has assigned the case a complaint number, but it can take several months for the federal department to fully investigate.

Since 2019, PETA has submitted 35 complaints to the USDA against SeaQuest locations regarding alleged violations to federal animal welfare laws, including seven against Trumbull SeaQuest, according to Sinnott. During that time, the nonprofit also has filed two requests to terminate Trumbull SeaQuest's animal welfare license, she said.

"We're talking about a chronic failure to provide veterinary care to animals," Sinnott said. "These are very serious allegations that are violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act and the USDA should absolutely look into this issue urgently and it should take immediate action."

The complaint asks federal agriculture officials to ensure animals at SeaQuest Trumbull are being provided "adequate veterinary care, space, shelter, food, and water" and comply with animal welfare laws. The complaint also asks federal agriculture officials to hold Trumbull SeaQuest "fully accountable for all violations that you discover during your inspection."

The complaint follows another filed by the animal rights group earlier this year that prompted state Department of Agriculture officials to investigate the facility. A report showed an investigation into the incident found that a malfunctioning filtration system led to an ozone poisoning-related die-off of 18 fish in its stingray tank.

That incident was the latest at the Trumbull SeaQuest location. In 2020, an otter bit a small child during a feeding demonstration, according to a state report issued a few months later. The report concluded that a piece of PVC pipe intended to prevent the animals from reaching visitors as they passed food through a Plexiglass wall separating people from the otters had been missing.

The same report also noted that a few weeks earlier an employee hit an otter with a metal food bowl. That employee was later terminated, company officials said.

In 2021, another state inspection reported a kinkajou, a small rainforest mammal also known as a honey bear, had scratched a child's face.

SeaQuest last year agreed to remove kinkajous and porcupines from the facility in an agreement with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The deal allowed the business to continue offering interactions with many of its exotic animals, including otters, wallabies, sloths, and Bengal cats. But SeaQuest agreed to move porcupines and kinkajous in its care out of state.