Mar del Plata Aquarium to close, plans to sell penguins to cover debts

The Aquarium of Mar del Plata is set to permanently close its doors on March 31, 2025, following a failure to reach an agreement on rent between the operating company and the property owners, compounded by bankruptcy proceedings. Despite assurances that animals would be relocated, many species remain at the facility nearly a year and a half later. To manage ongoing maintenance costs, which exceed 20 million pesos per month for supplies and salaries, the aquarium is proposing to sell four "saltarín" penguins. These penguins are the only animals to have received a formal valuation, estimated at $40,000. Currently, the aquarium houses approximately 59 marine birds awaiting new homes, tended to by at least twelve employees. The financial strain is exacerbated by debts to former employees, banks, the electricity provider, and tax agencies. Without income from ticket sales, the high costs have forced the search for new funding sources. While the sale of the penguins requires a complex international process, proposals from aquariums in Mexico, China, and Brazil's Sao Paulo Zoo had previously emerged for the acquisition of all animals, though none materialized. In a previous financial maneuver, ten bottlenose dolphins were sold to Egypt in late 2025 for $800,000, funds that helped cover park maintenance and outstanding salaries. The Aquarium, operating since 1993 on a 9-hectare property owned by the Peralta Ramos family, heirs to the city's founders, will cease operations after its contract expired in 2022. The owners intend to repurpose the prime beachfront property located near the Punta Mogotes Lighthouse.

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The sale of the animals will require a complex international operation with aquariums or parks abroad.