Pinniped species in captivity?

26-02-2011

I don't know what they are doing at San Diego with ISIS, but someone there should look into this. By the way, the Northern Elephant Seal CURRENTLY listed on ISIS came to the zoo in 1929 and died in 1931...

26-02-2011

If I didn't realise that you clearly have access to the membership area of the ISIS website and are thus able to see more details than me, I would think you're joking with this...

11-03-2011

I've always found the harbour seals at the Gold Coast Seaworld to be a very odd animal to be in Australia. I mean I know they have the Californian sealions and polar bears and what-not, but harbour seal just seems such a random species to acquire.

11-03-2011

I don't recall Harbour Seals from my visit just over three years ago. When and from where were they recieved?

Interestingly, I don't recall seeing a single seal in Australia, apart from one. But that one happens to have been Taronga's Leopard Seal 'Brooke' (which had since died but replaced by two younger ones found strayed around the time of my visit) so I'm still pleased!

12-03-2011

I've never actually been to Sea World. I know they have/had harbour seals but I've never been able to find out when or from where they arrived (and that's always annoyed me because I do think they are just an odd animal to be there!). They aren't mentioned at all on the Sea World website. I know they were already there in 1998 (via Google searches) but that's it. Perhaps they have died since then. One of the Australians might know (Hix or Jay).

12-03-2011

They were on the program 'The Zoo' a few weeks ago. I believe I saw 3, 1 male and 2 females. The male had to have eye surgery to remove one eye as he had cataract. I am not sure, however, when they got them or from where. This was the ame episode where the Giant Pandas were about to or had arrived in Australia, so maybe mid to late 2009?

Hope that helps Chli. And, welcome back!

12-03-2011

I took a couple of photos of the Twycross seals and they are HERE

London Zoo had some many, many years ago. It would be nice to see them in a UK collection again.

12-03-2011

thanks, they've been there a long time then (at least 12 years); maybe they were just imported at the same time as some Californian sealions. I do still wonder about why though. They aren't considered important enough to warrant any mention at all that I can see on their website - even though they are the only ones in the country - so it makes me question why they even bothered when the general public probably couldn't care less.

14-03-2011

Is it just Auckland, Taronga and sea world that have Californian sea lions in the region?

14-03-2011

I believe so.

And I also think there are only two sub-antarctic fur seals in captivity (both rescued animals): 1 at Auckland and 1 at Melbourne

14-03-2011

Sea World has 3.1 as well.

14-03-2011

Are all 4 ex-Sydney Aquarium?

14-03-2011

Well, you would think so, but Sea World had 2.0 in 2007, before the transfer from Sydney, but I don't know if these are part of the current 3.1 or not.

Marineland in Napier, New Zealand had 4.1 Californian Sea Lions in 2007, I don't know what happened to these animals after Marineland closed.

Incidentally, Marineland also had 1.0 Subantarctic Fur Seals in 2007/2008, and the Pet Porpoise Pool had 0.1.

01-04-2011

So I was at the Aquarium du Québec yesterday, and they have Atlantic and Pacific walruses, Harp, harbour and Grey seals in terms of Pinnipeds. It looks as though they have had hooded seals and ringed seals in the past as there were numerous pictures and information signs for these species.

01-04-2011

Do they have seperate exhibits for all five species or do they for instance keep the Pacific and Atlantic Walruses together. Did you notice how many of each walrus subspecies they had?