MIAMI – The Miami Seaquarium has reportedly selected not to renew its earned accreditation for its trainers.
On its website online, the Seaquarium used to boast about its International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association (IMATA) instructor building systems.
IMATA’s Accreditation for Animal Trainer Development Programs was once at the beginning evolved to acknowledge the ones amenities that experience remarkable programs for coaching animals.
“IMATA is the standard for proper training of animals. It makes sure the trainers are taking care of animals and training them the way they are supposed to,” mentioned Attorney Daniel Wehking, a former animal caretaker and diver at Miami Seaquarium.
Wehking instructed Local 10 News that one thing stuck his eye and that the emblem for IMATA is now lacking from the Seaquarium’s accreditation webpage.
“The loss of accreditation is cause for concern. I am concerned and everyone in South Florida should be concerned that the Miami Seaquarium may not be taking care of their dolphins in the way they are supposed to,” he mentioned.
An IMATA spokesperson mentioned in a remark that the Seaquarium didn’t lose its accreditation, they only selected not to renew regardless of it being legitimate for a five-year time period.
To reinstate their accreditation, Miami Seaquarium could be required to publish a brand new utility and go through a complete on-site audit with IMATA inspectors.
Wehking says county leaders want to “immediately” examine this and determine why it is going on.
The Seaquarium’s resolution not to renew earned accreditation for its trainers has stuck the eye of county commissioners.
“We are actually going to be meeting with them in the next few days to see what their plans are,” mentioned Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado
Regalado’s district instructed Local 10 News following Lolita’s loss of life, the Seaquarium goes thru a transition.
“I think we are going to see like a Seaquarium 2.0 and a broader conversation of what the future of that site is and how much of it will be animal-based and how much would be an ‘edutainment’-based model,” Regalado instructed Local 10 News in a telephone interview Thursday.
A spokesperson for Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces instructed Local 10 News that IMATA accreditation “is not required by the Miami-Dade County lease agreement and its expiration does not affect or violate the terms of the agreement.”
“Without this accreditation, there is no check that the trainers are able to do what they are supposed to or are doing what they are supposed to with the marine animals that live in the Seaquarium,” mentioned Wehking.
Miami Seaquarium selected not to reply to a request for a remark in this topic.
Read IMATA’s complete remark right here:
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