It amazes me that the new sea lion pool at Como Park Zoo cost more than $20 million, while the new sea lion exhibit at Yorkshire Wildlife Park (in the U.K.) cost only a fraction of that amount. Plus, it looks spectacular:
@DelacoursLangur The Seal Island Exhibit was fine, but the amphitheater was absolutely tiny, and an eyesore for many of the visitors. While this exhibit is far from the worst, it definitely feels like a waste of money. It's a fairly average exhibit compared to others in the country, and the theming is subpar at best, and tacky at worst. This is definitely an upgrade from what used to be here, but doesn't exactly live up to the 20-million-dollar price tag.
@Dhole dude To be fair, $20 million also entails demolition, new infrastructure/galvanized pools for holding saltwater, new holding areas, etc. Hell, I'd say $20 million is pretty conservative.
I liked the exhibit when I visited over the summer, but it’s probably the most standard modern pinniped habitat you will ever find. Nothing creative about it and this setup has been done at countless other zoos. Como Park itself is a very back-to-the-basics kind of zoo and there really isn’t anything here you can’t see somewhere else.
@snowleopard I'm not sure if it's a freshwater or saltwater system (there is science that shows that sea lions benefit from saltwater rather than freshwater), but either way, while it looks impressive, I can't help but feel disappointed at the lack of underwater viewing at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Maybe I'm spoiled by the sea lion habitats I've seen at National, Los Angeles, or even the WCS zoos.
