Child Bitten, Other Violations Found At SeaQuest Trumbull: Report

TRUMBULL, CT — A child suffered a minor injury when the child was bitten by an otter at SeaQuest in the Westfield Trumbull mall, one of several violations found at the interactive aquarium turned during a recent inspection by the USDA animal welfare division, reported the New Haven Register.

The child was bitten last July when the otter was being fed by staff during a demonstration. The inspector said that a PVC pipe that would help prevent such incidents was missing at the time of the feeding.

In addition to the encounter between the child and an otter, about a month before, a former SeaQuest employee who had entered the otter enclosure, struck some animals with a metal feeding bowl when the animals began to jump around. That employee was fired, according to the company.

Patch reached out to the Trumbull venue for comment but did not immediately receive a reply.

Vince Covino, CEO of SeaQuest, told the Register that staff receives extensive training in the handling and care of the animals, and all animals are under the oversight of veteranarians.

Read the New Haven Register story.