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ThylacineAlive said:
That's a little unfair. The aquarium doesn't have the footprint to house Belugas properly without getting rid of all their other marine mammals and penguins. Both fur seals and Walruses are in short supply in the US with no options to import additional stock. The aquarium wasn't in a position to breed Walrus so the most sensible move was to send their animals to collections who might.

The aquarium still houses Harbor Seal, California Sea Lion, and Sea Otter as far as marine mammals go.

~Thylo
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Thank You . I am well aware of the aquarium’s shortcomings- from size to budget .
The walrus were signature species of the aquarium since its opening in 1957 - obviously in compensation to Brooklyn’s impending loss of the Dodgers.
They once housed both Atlantic and Pacific subspecies .
Instead of exporting walruses to breed elsewhere why couldn’t they have imported walrus to breed here?
Itcwas ny understanding that Sea Cliffs was designed for the primary purpose of exhibiting walrus. It should be designed to breed walrus
From the beginning , I remembering hearing internal complaints that the off exhibit space was too small for proper maintenance.
One would think with the multi millions they spent to build Sea Cliffs this would have been taken into consideration
The animal act facility -which once held dolphins - could have been transformed into a Beluga facility and the large tanks - which have variously held Beluga , sea turtles and sturgeon - could have been incorporated into the exhibit.
There has never been expansion of the this hybrid facility that never knew whether it wanted to be a classic urban aquarium (Shedd) or a NY version of Seaquarium in Miami
Atlanta and Chicago has huge, world class aquariums
Poorly planned , poorly executed.
Grossly underfunded
 
Don Majeski said:
Thank You . I am well aware of the aquarium’s shortcomings- from size to budget .
The walrus were signature species of the aquarium since its opening in 1957 - obviously in compensation to Brooklyn’s impending loss of the Dodgers.
They once housed both Atlantic and Pacific subspecies .
Instead of exporting walruses to breed elsewhere why couldn’t they have imported walrus to breed here?
Itcwas ny understanding that Sea Cliffs was designed for the primary purpose of exhibiting walrus. It should be designed to breed walrus
From the beginning , I remembering hearing internal complaints that the off exhibit space was too small for proper maintenance.
One would think with the multi millions they spent to build Sea Cliffs this would have been taken into consideration
The animal act facility -which once held dolphins - could have been transformed into a Beluga facility and the large tanks - which have variously held Beluga , sea turtles and sturgeon - could have been incorporated into the exhibit.
There has never been expansion of the this hybrid facility that never knew whether it wanted to be a classic urban aquarium (Shedd) or a NY version of Seaquarium in Miami
Atlanta and Chicago has huge, world class aquariums
Poorly planned , poorly executed.
Grossly underfunded
Click to expand...

I will agree that New York needs a better, world-class aquarium, but it starts with having more actual marine life. Neither Atlanta or Shedd have walruses and yet are some of the best aquariums in the world.
 
Ebirah766 said:
I will agree that New York needs a better, world-class aquarium, but it starts with having more actual marine life. Neither Atlanta or Shedd have walruses and yet are some of the best aquariums in the world.
Click to expand...

I agree. Walruses were a signature species of the aquarium that is why it is so disheartening to have lost them and no effort made to reacquire them
Amazingly , Aquarium Quebec exhibited both Atlantic and Pacific (As New York once did) walrus only to ship them off to - Abu Dhabi (!?!) - of all places !- despite being an indigenous Canadian species .
If Abu Dhabi can creative a thermally conducive exhibit for an arctic species in the middle of a desert why can’t New York - ditto for Belugas
Think small! That’s the motto despite any of their PR departments statements to the contrary
 
The New York Aquarium has acquired two new female southern sea otters, Clover and Pumpkin.

Two Rescued Southern Sea Otters Make Public Debut at the New York Aquarium

New York Aquarium on Instagram: "Two southern sea otters have made their new home at the New York Aquarium! The female otters were both rescued off the coast of California at young ages and were deemed non-releasable as pups. They have been cared for at other Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited aquariums prior to arriving at the New York Aquarium, where they now reside in the Sea Cliffs exhibit. The New York Aquarium has provided a home for 11 rescued sea otters since 1991. Swim by the aquarium this fall to welcome our new arrivals!"

The press releases don't specify which aquaria previously cared for the otters, but I suspect these two are transfers from SeaWorld San Diego, which listed southern sea otters named Clover and Pumpkin as part of their raft.

San Diego Southern Sea Otter Exhibit - Otter Outlook | SeaWorld San Diego
 
Piece of August 2024 News Not Mentioned:

On August 22nd, it was reported that the aquarium received funding from the New York City Cultural Affairs Commission for an unspecified animal exhibit.

DCLA-Announces-$213M-in-new-fy25-capital-funding

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On December 12th, the aquarium announced that 5+ flamboyant cuttlefish hatched which are behind the scenes.

1.5K views · 32 reactions | Watch juvenile flamboyant cuttlefish hunt mysis shrimp | It’s feeding time for our juvenile flamboyant cuttlefish! These animals are known for their vibrant colors and unique appearance. They also have... | By New York Aquarium | Facebook

On February 26th, 2025, the aquarium announced they moved 10+ oysters (species(s) not specified) on display in the New York Harbor exhibit in the Playquarium area.

New York Aquarium

On March 10th, the aquarium announced they acquired (0.3) nurse sharks which are now on display in the Canyon's Edge tank.

2.5K views · 56 reactions | Three female nurse sharks debut at the New York Aquarium | Join us in welcoming three female nurse sharks that are now on exhibit in Ocean Wonders: Sharks! After an initial quarantine period to make sure they are... | By New York Aquarium | Facebook
 
0.2 California sea lions Charlie (Chubby) and Sally were transferred from the Central Park Zoo to the New York Aquarium on April 22nd, 2025.

Charlie was rescued by the Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute on March 15th, 2013, and briefly housed at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom before coming under ownership of the Wildlife Conservation Society. She is estimated to have been born in 2012.

Sally was born at SeaWorld Orlando to 0.1 Taffy and an unknown sire on May 29th, 2015, and transferred to the Columbus Zoo's Myakka City holding facility a few months before her third birthday in 2018. In November of that same year she was transferred to the New York Aquarium, with her ownership being transferred to the WCS on July 15th, 2021.
 
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