Kelly Tarltons Underwater World Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World

patrick never got over it.

But this is meant to be a thread about Kelly Tarlton's not Melbourne....
 
The only two freshwater displays (I saw) were the NZ eel tank and the Piranha tank... I think I loaded photos of both...

I'll do a review about the National aquarium over the weekend, they had MANY more freshwater species including North and South American, Asian, African and of course NZ...
 
Nigels views

I got this feeling from their website thats why I said trying... Whats your opinion Nigel as a Wellingtonian and zoo fan, yay or nay..?


Having spoken with the people that are trying to set the whole venture up and running , I personally would go against alot of Wellingtonions and vote Yay -- with some improved designs .
The coastline is nothing really spectacular compared to many other places in NZ , and Wellington could do with another conservation attraction to compliment the zoo and Karori sanctuary .
The centre is going to be NZs equal of Monterrey aquiriam in California , which I have visited and give top marks
It will be conservation and education first and foremost
There are alot of nimbys living in Wellington who think the "pristine " South Coast is wonderful ...... they obviously havent seen much of their own country .
 
Kelly Tarlton's has just been sold for NZ$13 million to Village Roadshow, which also owns Sydney Aquarium, Manly Oceanworld and Sea World Gold Coast.

And on a related note, apparently the Wellington Aquarium people are applying for a permit to try and open at a new site after the debacle over the last one.
 
it was a school shark (Galeorhinus galeus), outside of NZ also commonly known as a tope
 
the "bizarre caesarean section" referred to is outlined in the link kiang provided two posts up
Caesarean shark pups from Kelly Tarlton's released into wild | NATIONAL News
Eight baby school shark pups born in a bizarre caesarean section at Kelly Tarlton's in Auckland last year were released into open waters on Wednesday.

The pups were born premature but healthy on November, from a gash their mother sustained when she was bitten by a much larger broadnose sevengill shark.

Now the pups, weighing 415 grams and measuring 45cm each on average, were strong enough to have every chance of survival in the wild, Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World curator Andrew Christie says.

The sharks were released into Auckland's Waitemata Harbour because that was where they would have likely been born if their mother had not come to the marine centre.

The sharks - even once fully grown - will be no danger to people who swim in the harbour, Christie says.

"Every year thousands of shark pups just like these guys are born in the waters around Auckland. Despite their fearsome reputation, sharks represent a very low risk to humans and in fact there hasn't been a single recorded school shark attack."

Staff at Kelly Tartlon's were alerted to the strange birth by visitors, so staff removed the premature sharks from the predator tank and quarantined them.

Sharks do not have maternal instincts and just birth or "drop" their babies and swim off - leaving the pups to fend for themselves, Christie says.

Because of this, the shark pups were born with the skills they need to develop to survive in the wild.

"If anything our eight school shark pups will have a better chance of survivability. Born prematurely in the wild their chances of seeing adulthood would have been very small, but now - because they have grown strong and healthy during the past four months -- these pups have a better than average chance of making it."

Despite emergency medical treatment and ongoing monitoring and care, the pup's mother eventually succumbed to her injuries, Christie says.
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Interesting, Aquariums can be quite profiable, quite opposed to zoos - many which seem to permanently struggle...
 
just looking over some zoo websites and thought I'd add the following from October:
Tourism Awards Finalist | Kelly Tarlton's
Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World was named the winner of the Tourism New Zealand 'Innovative Marketing Campaign' award at the 2010 Tourism Industry Awards gala dinner in Auckland on October 14.

The awards ceremony was hosted at Auckland's Langham Hotel and attended by more than 250 tourism industry stakeholders, including Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key.

Tourism New Zealand's General Manager of Marketing Communications Justin Watson said Kelly Tarlton's innovative marketing campaign demonstrated a strong ability to adapt and move with the times.

Kelly Tarlton's ran six promotions throughout the year, ranging from Megalodon - The Monster Shark, to Penguathlon - a promotion that transformed the resident penguins' activities into Olympic events and gave visitors a chance to participate.

"The tourism industry is becoming increasingly competitive and innovation is vital for New Zealand businesses looking to adapt and stand out from the crowd," Justin Watson said.

"Kelly Tarlton's has created a campaign that shows great creativity and keeps visitors coming back for more."

The Tourism Industry Awards is organised by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand. Nineteen awards were presented at this year's event in line with its new theme of 'Innovating for Success'.
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The sale of Kelly Tarltons to Merlin has now been approved, it will be interesting to see what changes and improvements they make as part of their 'multi-million dollar investment'. Seals perhaps?

International amusements group Merlin Entertainment has been granted its wish to buy the Kelly Tarlton aquarium on Auckland's waterfront from Australian group Village Roadshow.

Ad Feedback Merlin runs 70 attractions in 16 countries, including Legoland and waxworks museum Madame Tussauds.

Because it was on sensitive land, the deal required Government approval from the Overseas Investment Office, which was given yesterday.

Campervan company Tourism Holdings sold Kelly Tarlton's to Village Roadshow in 2008 for $13 million, but no price was disclosed for the Merlin purchase.

The acquisition of the aquarium was part of a wider A$116m (NZ$157.5m) deal to buy the Sydney aquarium, Sydney Wildlife World, the Sydney Tower Observatory and other attractions in Australia.

Merlin runs the world's largest aquarium group, Sea Life.

Merlin has said it was committed to a multimillion-dollar investment programme for its new attractions in Australia and New Zealand. It also plans a Madame Tussauds in Sydney next year.
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Hong Kong company plucks Tegel | Stuff.co.nz
 
some older articles on rescued turtles found while internet browsing...

Turtle Washed Ashore at Karekare Beach | Stuff.co.nz
17 August 2011

He's endangered, he's sick and he's lucky he got inside before this week's big freeze.

A three-year-old green turtle was found in a ragged condition on Karekare Beach in Sunday's stormy weather and was taken to Kelly Tarlton's for emergency treatment.

Neil and Debbie Bowman were visiting the beach with their niece Cindy and two dogs when they discovered the visitor.

''For all intents and purposes he looked dead and I thought: 'Oh dear'," said Neil Bowman.

''But when I went to pick him up gently his eyes opened and his front flippers started going for it as much as he could manage.

''I was wondering if I should let nature take its course but at the same time I was mindful that turtles are tropical creatures and this guy probably shouldn't be here.''

He decided to stay with the turtle while his wife and niece went searching for help.

They found some Karekare Surf Club members and the turtle was taken back to the surf club while calls for help were made.

The turtle was taken to Kelly Tarlton's to receive emergency treatment.

Curator AJ Christie says the turtle was in a very bad condition when he arrived.

''He'd no muscle left on him and he'd lost a lot of weight.

''Right now he has a 30 percent chance of survival but I've seen worse guys pull through.''

Christie commended the actions of the Bowmans and the surf club members.

''They did the right thing and they got to him in the nick of time.

''If he was out there any longer he would have certainly died, especially in this cold weather.''

Christie says green turtles can live to 150 years old. They are listed as endangered in many areas of the world.

''I've seen a lot die because of plastic in their stomachs.''

Christie suspects the turtle had been ill for months before he washed up on the beach.

''He has a lot of algae and barnacles on him which means he's been floating around for maybe months before he's been found.''

Staff at Kelly Tarlton's Turtle Rehabilitation Programme will spend the next week trying to rehydrate and feed him.

Christie says if he pulls through it could be months before he's released.

''It depends on how fast he recovers and getting him into the water when it's warm and the currents are right.''

Christie says since the green turtle was found two more turtles have washed up in the polar blast.

An olive ridley sea turtle was picked up by Conservation Department at Houhora in the Far North and a hawksbill turtle was found near Dargaville.

Both have been brought to Kelly Tarlton's which often looks after injured turtles.
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Endangered turtle's health concerns carers | Stuff.co.nz
27 September 2011

The endangered olive ridley turtle discovered on a south Auckland beach yesterday is struggling to survive.

The turtle is being held in quarantine at Kelly Tarlton's, where curator Andrew Christie has concerns for his condition saying he's "not looking great".

The turtle has been taken to the vet and an x-ray confirmed initial speculation there was an obstruction in its oesophagus.

"We need to wait until it's strong enough until we figure out what to do with the obstruction," said Christie.

"We have no idea what it is, it's got us a bit foxed at the moment."

He said it was unlikely the obstruction was a piece of plastic ingested while feeding.

Christie said they will warm the turtle's temperature and give it plenty of fluids until they can determine whether it will survive.

"Once that has been done we will be able to put him in a tank and see if it feeds. Then we'll put him under anaesthetic and insert an endoscope to determine what the obstruction is," said Christie.

The discovery of the endangered turtle, which was found floating on the Awhitu Peninsula near Waiuku by a resident out horse riding, is reminiscent of the emperor penguin Happy Feet.

But there are no plans to name this marine animal yet because his condition is so precarious.

"We haven't named him yet. We don't want to name him too early in case he leaves us too early," said Christie.
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Turtle Dies at Kelly Tarlton's - environment | Stuff.co.nz
29 September 2011

The endangered turtle discovered on a south Auckland beach on Monday has died.

The olive ridley turtle was among a higher-than-usual number which have washed up on northern beaches this year though experts are baffled as to why.

The turtle was taken to Kelly Tarlton's to be looked after, but curator Andrew Christie said the turtle died overnight.

"He was in an extremely poor state so the odds were never that good on him, really."

Experts hope a necropsy will reveal what killed the turtle, which had a bacterial infection, a blockage in its oesophagus and was extremely cold.

Seven other turtles at Kelly Tarlton's are in various states of ill health, suffering from a range of ailments including gut impactions, bacterial infections and cold, while one was struggling to pass rope it had eaten.

Turtles could be sick for months, "literally just floating there and waiting to die" and Christie said they were clueless about why they were washing up in greater numbers.

"We just don't know the details. Obviously there's a few of them out there that are in pretty poor condition and just the weather patterns are managing to blow them in onshore at the moment."

Christie said they knew little about turtles in New Zealand waters but a Massey University PhD student was hoping to change that and build a picture for scientists.

Sick, cold-blooded turtles could float for months at the mercy of tides and weather patterns, waiting for something "to push them over the edge".

"There's such a puzzle that we just don't know about these guys in NZ waters... no research has really been done on it before."

The turtle will go to Massey University to be examined and Christie said they hoped this would reveal how it died.

"Once we do the necropsies we'll hopefully build up a bigger picture of what's going on."

Christie said they had seen about 14 washed-up turtles at Kelly Tarlton's this year compared with the usual average of six.

Common places for them to wash up included 90 Mile Beach, Karekare, Bailey's Beach and Kariotahi, he said.

Christie encouraged members of the public to contact the Conservation Department if they stumbled across any washed-up turtles.
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The Kelly Tarlton's website says that they have baby King Penguins and Sea Turtles on display.

http://www.kellytarltons.co.nz/news/baby-animal-season/

They have been quite succesful with their penguin breeding of late, with Gentoo chick/s last year, although how do they have baby sea turtles??? Rescued or "Rescued" perhaps?

Edit: Not totally 'baby' as in fresh out of the egg, there is a photo of Tiny, their littlest turtle on facebook, and he looks to be several years old. But I am definitely no expert on turtles. Pic here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?....256076414419210.88078.248979695128882&type=1
 
zooboy28 said:
The Kelly Tarlton's website says that they have baby King Penguins and Sea Turtles on display.

http://www.kellytarltons.co.nz/news/baby-animal-season/

They have been quite succesful with their penguin breeding of late, with Gentoo chick/s last year, although how do they have baby sea turtles??? Rescued or "Rescued" perhaps?

Edit: Not totally 'baby' as in fresh out of the egg, there is a photo of Tiny, their littlest turtle on facebook, and he looks to be several years old. But I am definitely no expert on turtles. Pic here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?....256076414419210.88078.248979695128882&type=1
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the turtle in that photo is nowhere near being a "baby"! You can see its size on this youtube video:


I'd say that's the three-year-old one that was found in August last year (see the article earlier in this thread)
 
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vogelcommando said:
12 eagle rays born on Dec. 31 2020 :) :
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From Facebook:

Eagle ray pups:

On the very last day of 2020 we welcomed 12 eagle ray pups into the world - talk about ending the year on a high!

After being born in our Fish Tunnel yesterday afternoon, our curatorial team moved quickly to collect the pups and rehome them in our back-of-house space. Despite being born with their barbs, the pups are vulnerable to bullying from larger fish while they are still so small.

Eagle rays, like all sharks and rays, offer no parental care to young. So it is up to our animal care team to look after them from day 1.

You can see other juvenile eagle rays in Turtle Bay and the adults in our Fish Tunnel.
 
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