You mention Blackpool's, it is probably the biggest in the UK, still looks good today. In bygone days when London had Sealions, I liked their pool also, not huge but it actually looked natural (rocky) .
I wouldn't seriously class it as an exhibit though, it's just a lake! And what is the indoor accommodation like?
I always thought London's was OK, but I always thought everything there was OK 30 plus years ago including the mappins! London's ancient Sealion pool would probably still rank midway in the UK today.
At least part of the problem with pinnipeds is that the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice became more rigorous some years ago. I don't think it is a coincidence that zoos such as Chester, Edinburgh and London all went out of pinnipeds at more or less the same time. The current recommendations are that it is beneficial to keep marine species in salt water (which means that all the equipment must be resistant to corrosion by salt water) and that the condition of the water should either be monitored and recorded on-line or at least that temperature, salinity, chlorine etc and pH are monitored daily; bacteria monitored monthly and ozone/redox potential should be monitored continuously. These are quite stringent requirements, and Zoo Inspectors will check they met.
I'm sure London went out of them quite a bit earlier than the other two though I believe Twycross also bowed out around the same time as Chester/Edinburgh. I'm not sure they're enforced that strongly given Longleat and Dudley's set-ups, neither of which (to my knowledge) are salt water scenarios.
'Just' a lake? We're talking acres of open water with attendant enrichment for a largely aquatic species. I'm not sure there is any indoor accommodation. For those who haven't visited Longleat, it's wonderful to see the Sealions porpoising alongside the Safari Boat, or hauling out on the back of a Hippopotamus.
As I said, salt water is recommended as beneficial. It is not compulsory. But ignoring all the recommendations would not be sensible.
Most places (Flamingo land for example) that don't have a salt water pool for the main exhibit, often have smaller, and/or off show pools that contain salt water. Flamingo land give access to the smaller salt water pool to each Sea Lion for a few hours per day - this seems to reduce the prevalence of eye issues with their Sea Lions. I would assume other collections, such as Longleat, maybe do something similar with an off show pool containing salt water.
London Zoo stopped keeping California sea lions permanently in 1992. However, twenty years later, the species returned to Regent's Park for a short while when the Whipsnade sea lions were temporarily housed there in 2012 whilst their accommodation at Whipsnade was renovated.
Visited Whipsnade yesterday and had an incredibly enjoyable afternoon. Got great views of the Tigers down by the water and for the first time (having seen various species of Croc at many zoos) I saw a crocodile swimming. In all my years visiting Whipsnade I don't think I have ever once seen the Dwarf Crocs move an inch! Saw the Wattled Cranes in there new enclosure, probably the biggest Crane enclosure I can think of. Really good for them. And now the Aquarium. I will admit I was a little unsure about how interesting it would actually be but I have to say I think it has been done extremely well. Really interesting to find out about fish ive never heard of that live in places you wouldn't think of. The tanks are all really good quality and with extra species such as spiders and lizards it gives it something else. Yes its not as big as London's old Aquarium but having never been the most interested in fish I really found the Whipsnade Aquarium a really good addition. Really like how they marge it with the Butterfly House as well, kinda makes it a Discover Centre mark two! Once the 'off show' breeding area is complete, that will also be really interesting. I know they are not colourful, tropical fish but still a good addition to the zoo.
Chester was a few years before Edinburgh, if memory serves me correctly. Indeed; this was certainly the case for the Twycross stock.
