Thanks to the support of voters who passed the last tax levy and contributions from generous donors, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium just announced big news for a new habitat for Sea Lions coming in 2019! While plans are in still process of being developed, the state of the art habitat will be the home to 7 California sea lions who have been together for 10 years.
The sea lions who will make the Columbus Zoo sea lion habitat their home range in age from 11-21 years old, and their names are Ayla, Baby, Bodega, Harley, Nana, Qizai, Simba.
Changfeng Ocean World in China chose the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium as the next home for these sea lions due to the ability to build the new sea lion habitat and be able to keep the seven sea lions together.
Animal care is our first priority at the Columbus Zoo. That’s why we have two staff members living full-time with the sea lions while they are in their interim home in Florida,” said president and CEO Tom Stalf. “It’s also why we are designing the habitat here in Central Ohio with the animals’ needs first.
The Columbus Zoo contributes millions of privately raised funds to support conservation projects worldwide, and this new habitat will allow them to continue to support rescue and rehabilitation efforts by the Marine Mammal Center (MMC) in Sausalito, California. Climate change and environmental factors have caused more sea lion pups to be orphaned, and the MMC takes in many of these animals and works to restore them to health. The Columbus Zoo hopes to provide a home for a least one rescued non-releasable sea lion in the future.
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