This thread will document all holders of Pinnipeds in both the U.S and Canada. Rehab Animals will not be included in this list, as it's quite difficult to keep track of what species are held at any given time. Research Facilities will not be included either. This list uses USDA inspections, which can be notoriously inaccurate, so any updates or corrections are greatly appreciated. Otariidae California Sea Lion (63 Holders) United states~ Aquarium of Niagara Aquarium of the Pacific Audubon Zoo Birmingham Zoo Blank Park Zoo Bronx Zoo Brookfield Zoo Buffalo Zoo Central Park Zoo Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Columbus Zoo & Aquarium Como Park Zoo & Conservatory Denver Zoo Dolphin Research Center, FL El Paso Zoo Fort Wayne Children's Zoo Fresno Chaffee Zoo Georgia Aquarium Gulf World Marine Park, FL Gulfarium, FL Hershey Park Houston Zoo Indianapolis Zoo Kansas City Zoo Kentucky Kingdom Long Island Aquarium Louisville Zoo Memphis Zoo Miami Seaquarium Milwaukee County Zoo Moody Gardens Mystic Aquarium New England Aquarium New York Aquarium Ocean Adventures Ocean World, CA OdySea Aquarium Oklahoma City Zoo Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Oregon Coast Aquarium Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Point Defiance Zoo Prospect Park Zoo Queens Zoo Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens San Francisco Zoo Sarasota Sea Lion Preserve, FL Sea Life Park Sea Lion Splash Sea World Orlando Sea World San Antonio Sea World San Diego Seneca Park Zoo Shedd Aquarium Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, CA Six Flags Great Adventure Smithsonian National Zoo St Louis Zoo Theater of the Sea Tulsa Zoo Turtle Back Zoo Utah's Hogle Zoo Vancouver Aquarium Wildlife World Zoo Steller's Sea Lion (3 Holders) Alaska SeaLife Center Mystic Aquarium Vancouver Aquarium South American Sea Lion (2 Holders) Sea Lion Splash Sarasota Sea Lion Preserve, FL Northern Fur Seal (5 Holders) Edmonton Valley Zoo Mystic Aquarium New England Aquarium Seattle Aquarium Vancouver Aquarium Guadalupe Fur Seal (1 Holder?) SeaWorld San Diego? Phocidae Harbour Seal (54 Holders) Alaska Sea Life Center Alaska Zoo Assiniboine Park Zoo Aquarium du Quebec Aquarium of Niagara Aquarium of the Pacific Bahia Resort Hotel? Blank Park Zoo Brookfield Zoo Buttonwood Park Zoo Central Park Zoo Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Columbus Zoo Como Park Zoo & Conservatory Denver Zoo Edmonton Valley Zoo Fresno Chaffee Zoo Georgia Aquarium Gulf World Marine Park, FL Gulfarium, FL Henry Vilas Zoo Jenkinson's Aquarium, NJ Lincoln Park Zoo, IL Long Island Aquarium Los Angeles Zoo Louisville Zoo Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk Miami Seaquarium Milwaukee County Zoo Moody Gardens Mystic Aquarium New England Aquarium New York Aquarium North Carolina Zoo Ocean World Oklahoma City Zoo Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Oregon Coast Aquarium Oregon Zoo Point Defiance Zoo Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens Roger Williams Park Zoo Sea World Orlando Sea World San Antonio Sea World San Diego Seaside Aquarium Seattle Aquarium Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, CA Smithsonian National Zoo St Louis Zoo Toledo Zoo Utah's Hogle Zoo Vancouver aquarium Virginia Aquarium Gray Seal (9-10 Holders) Aquarium du Quebec? Aquarium of Niagara Brookfield Zoo Como Park Zoo & Conservatory Indianapolis Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo, IL Long Island Aquarium Louisville Zoo Smithsonian National Zoo Toledo Zoo Hawaiian Monk Seal (1 Holder) Minnesota Zoo Spotted Seal (1-2 Holders) Alaska SeaLife Center? Mystic Aquarium Harp Seal (1-2 Holders) Aquarium du Quebec? SeaWorld Orlando Ringed Seal (2 Holders) Alaska SeaLife Center SeaWorld San Diego Northern Elephant Seal (1 Holder) Pittsburg Zoo & PPG Aquarium Odobenidae Walrus (6 Holders) Aquarium du Quebec Indianapolis Zoo Marineland Canada Sea World Orlando Sea World San Diego Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, CA
When using USDA reports, I recommend you make to verify each listing from an outside source. I suspect pinnipeds are probably one of the more accurate groups though. Milwaukee keeps California Sea Lion. "Oceans of Fun" means Milwaukee County Zoo, so any listings of there can just be changed to Milwaukee County Zoo.
I went through most of the listings for the rarer species, as those are the most likely to be misidentified. Species like California Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, & Gray Seals will most likely be correct, as there isn't much you could mistake them for, so I only went through couple for those
One thing that's surprised me looking through USDA for rarer pinnipeds is how many of the unusual species are present in rehab centers and research facilities. And yes I would expect listings for pinnipeds should be pretty accurate typically, they're more straightforward and also bear additional protections under the MMPA.
This is the listing that surprises me the most. If this is not an incorrect listing, I'd be very curious to know where the sea lions came from. Vagrant rescues? I know Europe has a captive population, but I'm unclear on what the legal situation would be for importing them (and having heard of neither place, that would itself be strange). Does MMPA cover non-native species?
I'm having some difficulty finding a specific answer to this, but it seems so. At the very least US citizens cannot take marine mammals of any kind anywhere on the high seas without permit which would thus apply to various species outside US waters. It is less clear in what fullness it protects species like SA Sealion, West African Manatee, and Marine Otter.
I know why it has a separate listing, but for a list of holding zoos like this it makes sense to lump them together.
Sarasota's specialty is/was South American. Most, if not all, were rescues. The place was a rescue facility for decades, before the owner opened it to tours in 2019. He unfortunately died at the end of 2019, and I'm not sure what the current status of the facility is.
I wish I'd known Sea Lion Splash had a South American Sea Lion, I could gone to see it at the Wisconsin State Fair. Should we be keeping track of traveling facilities for these threads, though? They can be so hard to keep tabs on.
Sea Lion Splash is (from this article I'll link below) just the travelling show of the Sarasota Sea Lion Preserve, so they are the same animals. Sarasota Sea Lion Preserve now open to the public in Myakka City | East County | Your Observer The South American Sealions are a mix, according to various articles I could find, of beach rescues imported from South America, captive-bred imports, and home-bred animals (one article says that the bull named Bruce was captive-born and is himself the father of animals bred at Sarasota). In the above linked article it says one of the females there was a beach rescue from Puerto Rico after escaping from a show in the Dominican Republic.
Sea Life Park in Hawaii now has one male monk seal that was at a Long Marine Laboratory in California for many years. Sea Life Park Welcomes Home a Special Hawaiian Monk Seal - Hawaii Magazine He should be returning to the Waikīkī aquarium this summer once the research study is finished. https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2021/09/01/monk-seal-conservation-research/ The total Hawaiian monk seal population is now 2.1
