State Removes 25 Animals From Woodbridge SeaQuest, But Allows It To Remain Open

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — On Thursday, the Fish & Wildlife division of the NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection removed 25 wild animals from the SeaQuest aquarium at the Woodbridge Center mall.

This comes after the state of New Jersey revoked SeaQuest's wild animal permits on Jan. 31. Seaquest had 20 days to file an appeal after that Jan. 31 warning that its wild animal permits would be revoked, which it did not, said the state.

Animals removed included several mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. All 25 of those animals were rehomed. As a policy, the DEP does not identify the location of relocated or rehomed wildlife.

However, not all animals were removed from Seaquest this week: The permits that were revoked only cover exotic and non-game animals. It does not cover other animals SeaQuest may have in their possession. The state also did not order Woodbridge Seaquest to close.

SeaQuest Holdings, LLC is currently undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. Also, SeaQuest owes the Woodbridge Center mall $381,000 in unpaid rent, Patch exclusively reported in December.

Since 2019, NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife received more than 3,500 complaints regarding potential violations at the Woodbridge Seaquest. The NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife said they "conducted a thorough investigation over several months and found numerous violations."

SeaQuest Owes Woodbridge Center Mall $381K In Unpaid Rent, Mall Says (Dec. 2024)