Popular zoo faces permanent closure after officials confiscate 25 animals: 'Taking a firm stand now'

This popular zoo could shut down for good after complaints aboutut animal abuse.

New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish & Wildlife removed several animals from the SeaQuest animal center in Woodbridge after thousands of complaints.

The Department of Environmental Protection "received more than 3,500 complaints regarding potential violations under the Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act and the Exotic and Nongame Wildlife Regulations," according to reporting from My Central Jersey.

Twenty-five animals, including a sloth, otters, four birds, and several reptiles, were rescued from the facility and sent to new homes for proper care. SeaQuest Woodbridge's license to display exotic animals was revoked, although non-protected animals are still at the zoo — for now.

The violations ranged from negligence, such as forgetting to lock an otter's sleep box and allowing it to escape, to cases of improper care, including lack of medical treatment, keeping animals in small cages, and deadly humidity levels.

The investigation also found falsified veterinary documents and omissions of animal deaths from quarterly reports.

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This isn't the first time a SeaQuest has been cited with animal violations. In August of 2023, the SeaQuest in Trumbull, Connecticut, was permanently closed following animal welfare violations, and the SeaQuest in Fort Worth, Texas, followed suit in October of 2024.

Only two SeaQuest locations remain — Layton, Utah, and Woodbridge, New Jersey — and these repeated violations, along with filing for bankruptcy last year, may prove to be SeaQuest's downfall.

Local activists in Woodbridge were glad the animals at SeaQuest were finally in good hands but wary that another animal center could step in to fill SeaQuest's spot.

Nicole Paternoster, an activist for Stop SeaQuest Woodbridge, told local news site TapInto that the city has "an opportunity to be on the right side of this issue by taking a firm stand now and setting an example for other towns across New Jersey."