Miami Seaquarium

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The killer whale show at the Miami Seaquarium starring Lolita.
The killer whale show at the Miami Seaquarium starring Lolita.

The Miami Seaquarium is an aquarium located on Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida, USA.

The park was founded by Fred D. Coppock and Capt. W.B. Gray and was the first major marine park attraction in South Florida. Its grand opening was in 1955.[1]

In addition to the marine mammals, the Miami Seaquarium also houses fish, sharks, sea turtles, birds, reptiles and manatees.

There has been a great deal of controversy regarding some of the animals at Miami Seaquarium. Animals rights advocates have criticized the park for purchasing animals captured in the wild, since the sole purpose of capturing them was to sell them to marine parks. The Seaquarium has also been criticized for keeping some of the animals in pools that others claim are too small for the animals.[2] One controversy in particular concerns two Orca whales named Lolita and Hugo. Hugo died of a brain aneurysm in 1980.[3] Lolita still performs at the park today.


[edit] Gallery

The dolphin show at the Miami Seaquarium.

[edit] References

  1. ^ History of the Miami Seaquarium. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
  2. ^ MSNBC, Celebrities rally to free killer whale, Retrieved on May 26, 2008
  3. ^ Newsweek Magazine, Free Lolita! A Whale Story, Retrieved on May 26, 2008

[edit] External links

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Zoos, aquaria and aviaries