SeaQuest (aquariums)

• Colorado Parks and Wildlife suspended SeaQuest's exhibitor's license for two years due to an abundance of egregious violations related to the animals' welfare at the facility.[17]
• In 2019, a sloth named Flash was burned by a heat lamp on two occasions resulting in significant burns to its face.[18] The employee responsible for the animal's care was charged with cruelty-to-animals, but was found not guilty.[19]
• In 2018, Colorado Parks and Wildlife cited and fined SeaQuest for failing to report the death of a regulated kookaburra and issued warnings for the unlawful importation and possession of six wood ducks, unlawful importation of a caiman and wallaby, five counts of failing to report injuries to humans, and failing to report the deaths of 250 trout.[20]
• In 2018, SeaQuest failed a Colorado Department of Agriculture pre-license inspection. Issues included illegal transfer of koi fish, unsanitary conditions, and allowing visitors to walk through the aviary while birds were grounded, creating a precarious environment where the birds were vulnerable to being stepped on.[21]
• Additional events in 2018 included SeaQuest storing approximately 80 parakeets in an employee's garage after the company was ordered to shut down the interactive aviary,[22] and a state fine for SeaQuest's unlawful procurement of a two-toed sloth and failure to obtain an appropriate license for the animal.[23]
• Approximately 30 injuries involving animal-to-human bites were reported to occur between June 2018 and January 2019.[24]

A kid petting a snake at SeaQuest.

• In 2019, Clark County Administrative Services suspended SeaQuest's exotic-animal permit because the facility held unpermitted otters and coatimundi. The agency imposed a $2,000 fine due to an Asian small-clawed otter dying after being caught in a water pool filtration system, and imposed an additional $2,000 fine for unpermitted animal breeding of Asian small-clawed otters.[15][25]
• In 2018, a capybara named Wesley escaped while en route to a veterinary office and was injured in the process.[26]

• In 2019, the United States Department of Agriculture cited SeaQuest for failing to reduce the risk of injury to visitors during public encounters with an Asian small-clawed otter.[27]

Ammon Covino is the brother of Vince Covino and does not have any ownership in SeaQuest Interactive Aquariums.[4] The brothers were partners in some prior aquarium businesses.[4] Ammon has been subject of some controversies.

Beginning in 2012, Ammon was indicted for the illegal harvesting and trafficking of the Lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) and Spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) in the Florida Keys.[28] Both species are listed as 'near threatened' on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.[29][30] Ammon pleaded guilty to the charges of conspiracy to illegally purchase and sell fish and wildlife, resulting in a sentencing of one year plus probation.[31][32]

In February 2016, Ammon violated parole by failing to “answer truthfully all inquiries by his probation officer”, leading to an additional sentence of 30 days in jail and a court mandated fine of $50,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.[33]

In November 2016, Ammon was sentenced to be incarcerated for an additional eight months and an 1 year of supervised release for violating court-imposed employment restrictions of involvement with the construction of SeaQuest in Las Vegas, Nevada and Layton, Utah.[34][33]