I didn't see the sealions, but the others were definitely all in one pool. It was very odd seeing the penguins shooting past a blimp-like manatee. It seemed to me (from my short time there ) that the penguins tended to gather at the right end of the pool, the pelicans at the left, and the manatees were swimming round the deep middle bit.
its very small. and as far as i could tell when i was there the sea lions are only brought in for shows. i'm gonna guess their off-display area behind is even smaller.
also the manatees hang at the left because that is where they are cordoned off when the seals are in the pool likewise the pool can be divided on the right hand side as well - which is where they lock the penguins.
i'm okay with species sharing space. either rotation basis or together - in fact all for it. but singapore has some atrociously small enclosures. and in my book - this was one of them.
oh and from what i could smell when i was there - thats fresh water, which isn't ideal for the seals or penguins...
The manatees are never "cordoned off" when the sealions are in the main pool - there's simply no reason to. You may have noticed a bar across the "cordoned" area, its just a floating barrier to stop the manatee food (greens) from floating into the main pool, its not a gate.
Neither are the penguins "cordoned off" - a metal grill wide enough for penguins to pass through only stops the sealions/manatees from going into the penguin area, not vice versa. The grill cannot be "locked".
Yes, the main pool is freshwater (you do have an amazing sense of smell Phoenix), and yes the off-exhibit pools are smaller. They're filled with saltwater, so the sealions spend more time there.
And yes, some people see the pool as half-filled, others see it as half-empty.
