Auckland Zoo’s fur seal exhibit opened in 2001 as Sea Lion and Penguin Shores. It was originally built to house the zoo’s California sea lion colony (now deceased); and refurbished as part of the New Zealand precinct in 2011.
Native and transient fur seal pups unable to survive in the wild made Auckland Zoo their home throughout the mid 2000’s - the last survivor being a Sub Antarctic fur seal named Orua. He came to Auckland Zoo as a pup in 2007 and can be seen in the above photo.
Prior to the death of the California sea lions (who spent 99% of their time in the water); the fur seals would spend most of their time basking on the rocks. Orua was highly active in the water today, gliding past the viewing window like the sea lions used to do.
