SeaQuest Littleton to Close February 4

SeaQuest, the controversial interactive wildlife facility at Littleton's Southwest Plaza, will close its doors on February 4.

"SeaQuest continues its strength as a company and will still operate in states that support our interactive business model," reads a statement on Facebook. "We believe this is such a value to the community, and we are thrilled that we can create a magical and unforgettable experience for every guest by connecting them with amazing animals from all over the planet."

Sadly, rather than being a value to the community, the facility has a long history of being cited for harmful, even dangerous, business practices. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, in particular, has continually called for the company to be investigated.

SeaQuest Littleton is one branch of a national chain owned by Vince Covino, who, along with his brother Ammon, has been connected with poor animal treatment in the past. In fact, Ammon was convicted of trafficking wildlife at his Idaho Aquarium in Boise before he helped Vince open SeaQuest locations in Las Vegas and Layton, Utah.

In 2013, 200 animals died over a span of three months at the now-closed Portland Aquarium, which was owned by the Covino brothers. And the violations continued in Colorado.

SeaQuest Littleton lost its license from Colorado Parks and Wildlife in 2019 after it reported over fifty injuries to staff and guests. Because the CPW license regulated only some of the species at SeaQuest, the operation was able to continue without licensing after replacing the species in question with unregulated ones.

SeaQuest Littleton reapplied for a new zoological license through CPW in September 2021 but never received one. The facility ran into more trouble with the state that same year when it purchased a snapping turtle, which is not permitted in Colorado. SeaQuest was charged with illegal possession of the turtle and paid a fine.

In July 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture nailed SeaQuest Littleton with a critical citation because a sugar glider possum named Luna had to have half her tail amputated after getting stuck in a new enrichment structure that was added to her cage. It also earned a citation for a 2022 incident in which a Savannah cat bit a small child while the employee supervising its enclosure was distracted with another patron.

As a result, all of the Savannah cats at the facility had to be quarantined away from humans because they are classified as a rabies vector species, and the employees were unsure which of the three cats had bitten the child. The cats were replaced with "toygers," domestic cats bred to look like tigers.

SeaQuest did not immediately respond to requests for comment. According to its Facebook post, it will be "safely relocating" its animals.

This story will be updated.