LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — SeaQuest Las Vegas, the controversial interactive aquarium and petting zoo at the Boulevard Mall, is one of only four remaining locations nationwide. That's down from an original nine.
Other mall locations in other states have closed and the parent company is in bankruptcy in the wake of years-long local and national investigations that I started back in 2019.
WATCH: Citation issued as SeaQuest remains under investigation
Animals exploited for profit has been the criticism that's been leveled for years at SeaQuest here and across the country by multiple employees, patrons and animal advocates and documented in both local and federal animal welfare violations for neglect, deaths, and injuries to both animals and visitors.
The alleged exploitation has ended in many states but not here in Nevada.
Las Vegas animal advocate Hani Levi has been leading protests against SeaQuest outside the Boulevard Mall for years. Her latest mission? To force the facility to close its doors for good.
"They have a record, a nationwide record, of locations being shut down," Levi said. "This is not a place that cares for the animals. If you ask me, they don't even care for the public that visits there."
The two most recent closures include Fort Worth, Texas, which shut down in October following allegations of animal abuse and deaths. The location in Roseville, Minnesota abruptly closed last month following a year-long investigation by the Minneapolis ABC television station.
Since declaring bankruptcy in December, SeaQuest has been working to sell off its assets across the country. In early February, the federal trustee identified a "dire crisis" at the Las Vegas location that "has jeopardized the health and safety of the animals," telling the court that SeaQuest Las Vegas would run out of cash within three weeks unless the business was sold or found another way to get money.
WATCH: SeaQuest declares bankruptcy amid calls from animal advocates to close
Enter Timo Kuusela, Vice President and General Manager of the Boulevard Mall.
"The Boulevard Mall is interested in buying the SeaQuest location," Levi said. "I'm not surprised that they want to keep this location running because it is a dying mall."
Levi emailed Kuusela in early February.
"I asked him not to renew the lease for SeaQuest due to their record of animal abuse, neglect, etc."
In his response, which Levi shared with us, Kuusela called the news coverage on SeaQuest "hogwash nonsense, and revenge by disgruntled, former employees not to be trusted."
"What did you think of the response you got from Timo," I asked Levi.
"I thought it was very immature but also not backed by fact," she responded.
We emailed Kuusela asking whether he's personally met with any of the five former employees who have come forward over the years to 13 Investigates. He did not respond.
We also asked, again with no response, how he could refute undercover video from a Humane World For Animals investigator who worked at SeaQuest this past summer. The footage exposed hazardous conditions and a prolific cockroach infestation.
WATCH: Animal advocates share video showing roach infestation at SeaQuest Las Vegas
"What does it say to you that he discounted the firsthand experiences of people who work there," I asked Levi.
"It just showed me that nothing is going to change with the new management."
Federal court records show that just last week, a bankruptcy judge approved the sale of SeaQuest to its landlord, Boulevard Ventures.
In documents signed by Kuusela, Boulevard agrees to buy SeaQuest for $42,500 and waive the hundreds of thousands of dollars in back rent and other fees that SeaQuest owes the mall.
Tuesday was the deadline for other qualified bids to be considered. The court record doesn't show whether any were received by the deadline.
Once sale to the mall is complete, Boulevard Mall will take over care of the animals, employees and operations.
"They're not going to make any changes because they're not acknowledging the problems that they have," Lani said.
She also shared new video with us that was captured this week of a coatimundi at SeaQuest Las Vegas.
"That actually shows the unnatural behavior of an animal in captivity that does not have a lot of stimulation and they get frustrated so they repeat their behavior," Lani explained.
Just like this armadillo in the Human World Investigator's video over the summer.
Lani hopes the sale to Boulevard Mall will be short-lived, urging local officials to take action.
"Our elected officials actually need to address the situation at SeaQuest and actually take a stand like has happened in other states," she said. "I personally think they need to be shut down."
Her group, Shutdown SeaQuest Las Vegas, is planning another protest this Sunday at noon.
You can find more information about the protest here as well as other animal rights groups at the following pages:
We reached out to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who has also been tracking developments at SeaQuest. They sent us the following statement.
"It doesn’t matter who owns the shady shopping mall aquarium and petting zoo in Las Vegas, as animals will always suffer when they’re denied any semblance of a natural life and forced into dangerous and frightening public encounters. PETA will continue fighting SeaQuest and other businesses like it until they are all shut down for good."
As for legislation on animal interactions, our neighbors in California have proposed Assembly Bill 892, The Captive Wild Animal Welfare Project.
"Reading about what was happening at SeaQuest and elsewhere, I really felt motivated that I could carry this bill," Assemblymember Nick Schultz told ABC 10 in Sacramento, who we have partnered with over the last year, along with other ABC stations who have SeaQuest locations in their area. "So this would prohibit direct contact between the public and certain kinds of captive wild animals."
That would mean no more hand-feeding, petting or holding certain animals at facilities like SeaQuest.
Other similar laws banning interactions with certain captive animals is already in place in 14 other states. Nevada is not one of them.