Sea Turtles in Captivity

I think both ZooTampa and L'Oceanografic in Valencia, Spain have 'breeding centres' but I don't think either have had any success, although both have released turtles into the wild (after rescue).
 
Kemp's Ridley in particular I think tends to be a temporary holding, usually over winter after they end up on the beach after cold snaps. Most are just fine after being warmed up and a bit of care, so come warmer weather they're released again.
 
Is there any other public aquarium besides Okinawa which has a sandy beach next to the tank and bred sea turtles? I am not taking about open-air sea turtle farms in the tropics.

There is probably no conservation reason to breed sea turtles in public aquariums, but it may be better for welfare reasons.
 
Jurek7 said:
Is there any other public aquarium besides Okinawa which has a sandy beach next to the tank and bred sea turtles? I am not taking about open-air sea turtle farms in the tropics.

There is probably no conservation reason to breed sea turtles in public aquariums, but it may be better for welfare reasons.
Click to expand...
Really? Everyone's talking about how threatened sea turtles are from climate change and plastic and loss of nesting habitat and a bunch of other reasons. It seems sensible to breed them in captivity, away from the chaos and risks of the wild.
 
I believe I have seen both green and loggerhead turtles. Sea turtles in aquariums are pretty common from what I've seen, being kept at the Adventure, New England, National, and NY aquariums, as well as the Pittsburgh Zoo.
 
I've seen olive ridley (at the Aquarium of the Pacific), green (at the OdySea Aquarium and Denver Aquariums), and loggerhead turtles (at the OdySea Aquarium).
 
RatioTile said:
Really? Everyone's talking about how threatened sea turtles are from climate change and plastic and loss of nesting habitat and a bunch of other reasons. It seems sensible to breed them in captivity, away from the chaos and risks of the wild.
Click to expand...

Thousands of sea turtles are captive reared indeed, but this takes place in open pools in tropical breeding farms.

Zootierliste, to my surprise, lists that Antibes in France and Acuario de Sevilla bred loggerhead turtle. Anybody knows more? Do these facilities have open tanks, or are indoors?

I am at odds about breeding sea turtles in public aquaria. In human care in Europe there are between 100 and 200 individuals of all species combined, most kept singly. This is easily sourced by rehabs and few offspring from these breeding farms (consider how long-lived sea turtles are and how large are their clutches). On the other hand, there is a big and relatively popular animal which is not bred in exhibits. Perhaps breeding would by itself be a popular education topic.
 
Batto said:
Among others:
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, Ari isn't at NEAQ anymore. I can't seem to find any news about her dying, but I'd guess that must have been what happened, sometime in either 2015 or 2016. Right now, there's a single green sea turtle and two loggerheads at the aquarium, no Kemp's Ridley sea turtles. Though, as other users have mentioned, they do a lot of temporary holding to rehab and release members of the species, and I wouldn't be terribly shocked if any unreleasable individuals end up being held at NEAQ in the future.
 
In regards to breeding, Sea Life Park in Hawaii regularly breeds from their captive colony of green turtles, the offspring are then distributed to aquariums and resort hotels throughout the island chain, where they are raised for several years, and then released.
 
For Australians: are flatbacks commonly kept in Australian aquariums? Does anyone breed them?
 
The Loveland Living Planet in Utah has Green and Loggerhead, buyoncy issue rescues. One of the questions I get most often working there is "is the turtle dead" referring to the Green. It likes to rest against a rock in the back of the shark tunnel and looks dead when doing it.
 
Last edited:
ZooTampa does not have a turtle breeding center, I don't think they hold any sea turtles at all and I am not sure that they have held them. The Florida Aquarium (also in Tampa) has some at the main site as well as at an off site rehab center that is open to visitors in November through April. One can read about their efforts with sea turtles here: Sea Turtle Conservation Program - The Florida Aquarium
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top