The San Antonio Aquarium is a for-profit aquarium located in San Antonio, Texas. The facility features a number of interactive exhibits where touching the animals was permitted.[1] The aquarium is owned and operated by Crysty Covino, the wife of former owner Ammon Covino.[2]
| San Antonio Aquarium | |
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| Location | 6320 Bandera Road San Antonio, Texas |
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Incidents and violations
editOn July 30, 2018, two robbers abducted a female grey horn shark named Miss Helen and transported her to their house. The thieves kept the shark alive and it was luckily rescued by San Antonio police officers and returned alive and well to the aquarium.[3][4] Following the shark abduction, a public petition of more than 17,000 (61,000 as of January 2020) signatories requested the aquarium to close its touch pool containing a variety of aquatic animals.[5] The petition cited the dangers of touch pools can have on the animals, namely due to the stress and potential injury inflicted by aquarium guests.
In October 2018, the United States Department of Agriculture cited the aquarium for the use of untrained lemurs due to the numerous instances of biting and scratching facility visitors.[6]
In November 2018, the Leon Valley Fire Department shut down and evacuated the facility due to a number of safety hazards related to electrical and mechanical systems.[7]
During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Leon Valley Police shut down the facility twice for violating emergency orders prohibiting groups of 10 or more.[8][9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Animal Encounters at the Aquarium". San Antonio Aquarium. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Schafler, Kelly (May 4, 2021). "Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve opening delayed as attraction awaits final approval, inspections". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ Snaith, Emma (July 31, 2018). "Shark abducted in pram from Texas aquarium is returned". The Guardian. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Katz, Brigit (August 6, 2018). "After Being Stolen in Baby Stroller, Miss Helen the Shark Is Back at San Antonio Aquarium". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ "San Antonio Aquarium responds to petition for change". KENS. CBS. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "The Covino Family Factsheet" (PDF) (Press release). People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Martinez, Sarah (November 29, 2018). "San Antonio Aquarium Temporarily Shut Down for Multiple Code Violations". San Antonio Current. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020.
- ^ Medina, Mariah; Petrini, Tom (March 21, 2020). "San Antonio Aquarium cited for remaining open in defiance of Bexar County emergency declaration". KENS. CBS. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Cline, Sara (March 22, 2020). "Police close San Antonio Aquarium twice on Saturday for violating emergency declaration". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved August 16, 2023.