I'm a marine mammal trainer in Australia, and i'm usually in favour of marine mammals in captivity but miami seaquarium shocked me just how far behind the times it is. Can anyone comment on their opinons, i'd be interested to know what people over in america think of it.
Miami Seaquarium Opinion on Miami Seaquarium
- Thread starter zooworker
- Start date
Miami Seaquarium, hasnt really fallen behind the times...they never climbed up to be with the times and havent been state of the art since the 1950s. There isnt a single exhibit that would be exceptable in the rest of America or Western Society. But it is Miami's only aquatic facililty...people still go there in masses...this is what keeps it open. The Seaquarium desperately needs to move off the island, much like the metrozoo did in 1980. Or bulldoze and rebuild, like Marineland has.
A puzzling place
I will admit it has been over a decade since I was last there. However, my impressions were that this was a very old facility, both in terms of physical plant and attitudes towards the animals. At that time, the place was badly in need of a thorough rebuild in both the physical and operational senses.
I have my doubts that much has changed. A quick check of the site 'tripadvisor.com' reveals that the Seaquarium has an average quality rating of 2.5 out of a possible 5.0. This means "mediocre" at best, with a total of 51 reviews submitted. Out of 109 attractions in Miami, listed on TripAdvisor, Seaquarium ranks in 78th place.
My deeper impressions were that a great many of the staff have their hearts in the right place, and they do the best they can with what they've got to take care of the animals. However, something about the place that I find it difficult to put a name to just kept digging at me as "wrong." To this day, I've not been able to pin down just what it is.
Are you coming to the IMATA conference in another couple of weeks, in Cancun? If so, you may be able to speak to at least a few of Seaquarium's people directly.
Which park are you working at?
Happy travels.
I will admit it has been over a decade since I was last there. However, my impressions were that this was a very old facility, both in terms of physical plant and attitudes towards the animals. At that time, the place was badly in need of a thorough rebuild in both the physical and operational senses.
I have my doubts that much has changed. A quick check of the site 'tripadvisor.com' reveals that the Seaquarium has an average quality rating of 2.5 out of a possible 5.0. This means "mediocre" at best, with a total of 51 reviews submitted. Out of 109 attractions in Miami, listed on TripAdvisor, Seaquarium ranks in 78th place.
My deeper impressions were that a great many of the staff have their hearts in the right place, and they do the best they can with what they've got to take care of the animals. However, something about the place that I find it difficult to put a name to just kept digging at me as "wrong." To this day, I've not been able to pin down just what it is.
Are you coming to the IMATA conference in another couple of weeks, in Cancun? If so, you may be able to speak to at least a few of Seaquarium's people directly.
Which park are you working at?
Happy travels.