The Miami Seaquarium has announced the death of one of its dolphins, Sundance.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Sundance today after precursors of illness yesterday," the aquarium said in an X post Wednesday night. "Our hearts are with the trainers and medical staff who unconditionally cared for him for more than 30 years."
Further information on Sundance's death was not available.
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Back in 2022, cellphone video showed the moments Sundance attacked a trainer during a performance of the Flipper show at the Miami Seaquarium.
Seaquarium officials said in a statement that the dolphin and trainer "accidentally collided" and that Sundance reacted by breaking away from the routine and striking the trainer.
Back in November, the USDA wrote in a scathing report that the Miami Seaquarium is ill-equipped to care for its animals, detailing a number of violations that prompted Miami-Dade County to give the Seaquarium less than two months to get things in order.
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According to the report, the Seaquarium ignored advice from veterinarians, failed to control animals when they interacted with the public, failed to maintain proper enclosures for animals and failed to provide protection from weather or direct sunlight, among other violations.
In response, the executive director for the company that owns the Seaquarium filed an appeal with the USDA and Miami-Dade County.
"We understand and share the community’s concerns for the well-being of the animals at the Seaquarium, and we value the safety of residents and visitors as well," a Miami-Dade County spokesperson said in a statement Thursday about Sundance's death. "Miami-Dade County is extremely concerned about the points raised in the recent USDA report, dated November 2, 2023, regarding animal welfare violations. This was one of the contributing factors that led to the issuance of the attached Notice of Default on December 22, 2023. We take these matters seriously and are deeply committed to addressing and rectifying any deficiencies in the care of the animals."
The inspection was done about a month before the beloved killer whale Lolita died at the Seaquarium after a sudden illness.
