MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Aquarium, an old Florida-style tourist attraction that gained international attention as the filming location for the 1960s TV series “Flipper” and thrilled generations of tourists with shows featuring trained dolphins and killer whales, has closed.
Sunday’s closure of the park, which opened in 1955, was celebrated by animal rights activists who have worked for decades to free the park’s marine mammals. The park, which overlooks Biscayne Bay across a causeway from downtown Miami, was beloved by those who grew up visiting the landmark, but was plagued by persistent animal welfare complaints.
Last year, the aquarium’s parent company received an eviction notice on waterfront land it leases from Miami-Dade County. Local residents cited a “long and worrying history of violations”. The action followed a series of federal inspections that found multiple problems, including unsafe buildings and structural deficiencies.
For years, families hoping to make cherished memories at the attraction had to weave their way past signboards, bullhorns, and animal rights activists stationed on the sidewalk outside, holding rosaries and incense sticks.
In recent years, activists have focused on the fate of Lolita, a killer whale trapped in a shallow pool for more than half a century. She died just as her guardians were preparing to move her to a natural marine enclosure in the Pacific Northwest.
Efforts have already begun to redevelop the S.E.A.
