Sealife's conquest of Europe » Chessington Zoo

Sealife's conquest of Europe
30-12-2007

A brand new aquatic attraction is opening at Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo at the start of the 2008 season: a SEA LIFE Centre with over 20 marine life displays housing species ranging from tiny shrimps and starfish to magnificent sharks and stingrays.

The 250,000 litre aquarium, which will be located within Chessington Zoo - will bring kids of all ages almost nose to nose with a wide range of sea creatures, creating the illusion that the visitor is on display while the fish swim freely around. Interactive touchpools, fun exhibitions and a walkthrough ocean tank will offer a final wow-experience as the fish swim overhead

This is a quote from Chessington's website. An unlikely scenario at first glance but a not altogether surprising one; remember that both Taussauds and Sealife are companies operated by the Merlin Entertainments Group, both very successful and both unashamedly commercial.

Chessington's major new exhibit for 2008, an aquarium, just happens to be branded. Is that enough to warrant a trip to Chessington next year counting as one or two collections on a list of zoos visited?

Five Sealife Centres were opened in 2000 (including one mobile), two in 2004, two in 2005, two in 2006 (including the one at Loch Lomond) and another in 2007. 2007 also saw Merlin acquire Taussauds which made it the World's second biggest operator of visitor attractions (after Disney).

Merlin now wants to stage a comeback in the UK after several of the original centres were sold off prior to the company's European crusade.

The centre at Chessington in 2008 will be the 27 branch. This must now be the biggest chain of animal attractions in the world.

Has anyone here been to the 2006 Loch Lomond centre and, if so, how does it compare to the original branches as they are now and as they were then?

30-12-2007

We have the original sea-life centre here just outside Oban, opened in 1979, situated in a forest on the shores of loch Creran a truly beautiful situation. Comprising mainly of 3 buildings one for display, one shop and one restaurant.
The display building has an area for loch Creran species an area for deep sea creatures, the original shallow tank for feeding and touching rays, a feature now of nearly every aquarium, a large circular tank for shoaling fish, usually young herring caught in the loch and large tanks based around a sea cliff and a pier side.
The centre is now moving to some more exotic species with a display of crabs from around the world including a Japanese spider crab.
Outside the main display building is a pair of pools interconnected for a breeding group of common seal and an enclosure adjoined to the shop for 2 male Canadian otter (one of the animals has recently died), both enclosures feature underwater viewing.
The centre is also famous for its seal rescue centre from which many of seals have been raised and returned to the wild, not only common seals but also grey and the rarely seen hooded seal, marine turtles and common porpoise.

30-12-2007

They swarm like herring I must say, I was myself quite captivated by SeaLife in Birmingham. Mackerel, exactly like these I buy smoked for EUR5, were live, graceful creatures.

BTW, I always thought they are somehow involved in conservation (more than education). Is it true?

31-12-2007

They are involved in seabird and mammal rehabilitation, I think, but not sure about conservation.

03-01-2008

Many moons ago, I used to work at a Sea Life Centre. Given the rate of restocking there, I'd be surprised if they contributed much to conservation.