Leopard Seals

I've looked it up but I can't believe it, is there really no leopard seals in captivity?

 

That’s correct. The last one died in 2014 at Taronga Zoo:Taronga zoo puts down world’s only captive leopard seal

 

Do they have problems in captivity? Or why don't other aquariums/zoos have them?

 

Well currently there is no "need" for leopard seals in zoos. Big shot zoos don't intend to keep new animals for the sake of adding a new species. Iirc the leopard seal in Taronga is a unreleasable rescue

 

The main problem is getting them. Antarctic wildlife is very rare in zoos, except some scattered Adelie and Emperor penguins. The cost and effort to import a viable group of Leopard seals is just not worth it, there are loads of other pinnipeds that are far more easily obtainable. All leopard seals recently kept in captivity were rescued animals way out of their normal distribution. Your hope will be that a zoo (probably in Oceania) will get such a rescue animal again...

 

Interesting, I feel like there would be a market for a "vicious seal" as opposed to more docile species. And the difficulty in finding or capturing animals has never stopped zoo before.

I could see sea world San Diego (ya I know) going for it

 

Well, this is also pretty viable reason for not keeping them

 

Well that's never stopped zoos before

 

Well apparently it has.

Could you imagine the public outcry when a western institution went to Antarctica to catch some sea leopards for display.... Combine that with the fact that it is not that different from other pinnipeds to the average zoo visitor and much less docile and no possibility of giving a show and you have all the ingredients for why they are not there.

 

A Marine Park at Napier, New Zealand used to have a Leopard Seal that did shows- I watched it. It was the first Leopard Seal I had ever seen. Amazing and impressive creature. But I wouldn't particularly like to see them brought into zoos apart from as rescued animals which is what I think the NZ and Taronga Park ones have been.

 

Other factors too. In a lot of countries, someone going out to capture seals to put them in captivity would be super controversial. I also wonder if their size and possible need for cold water (isn't it expensive to keep water cold?) would play a small part as well. Zoos would probably rather have walruses over leopard seals, those look different enough (and they're more recognizable to the average person) that they'd be of greater interest to visitors.

 

I am actually a little surprised that so few zoos/ aquaria had these animals on display but I guess getting them can be a hassle