Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo's fur seals and sea lions

[Zoofan15]

I forgot to mention that Charlie the male Australian Sea Lion is currently off display. His exhibit, Seal Cove, is now home to a female Australian Sea Lion and 2 Long-nosed Fur Seals. Not sure which individuals.

The New Zealand fur seals housed together would be Keke and her seven month old son, Kobi.

Taronga has four female Australian sea lions:

0.1 April - on breeding loan
0.1 Nala (2009) - Taronga born
0.1 Tarni (2016) - wild born
0.1 Amalie (2020) - Taronga born

 

[Osedax]

The New Zealand fur seals housed together would be Keke and her seven month old son, Kobe.

Taronga has four female Australian sea lions:

0.1 April - on breeding loan
0.1 Nala (2009) - Taronga born
0.1 Tarni (2016) - wild born
0.1 Amalie (2020) - Taronga born

I don't think the fur seals were Keke and Kobe. I saw Kobe last week and he still looked smaller than Keke, whereas both of the fur seals in Seal Cove looked fully-grown.
The sea lion was probably Amalie. April and Nala were in Seal Bay (the old Leopard Seal exhibit).
Thanks for the information about the female Australian Sea Lions. Would you happen to know how many males there are?
Would you also know how many Long-nosed Fur Seals are at Taronga? I have lost track.

 

[Zoofan15]

I don't think the fur seals were Keke and Kobe. I saw Kobe last week and he still looked smaller than Keke, whereas both of the fur seals in Seal Cove looked fully-grown.
The sea lion was probably Amalie. April and Nala were in Seal Bay (the old Leopard Seal exhibit).
Thanks for the information about the female Australian Sea Lions. Would you happen to know how many males there are?
Would you also know how many Long-nosed Fur Seals are at Taronga? I have lost track.

I believe Taronga has two bull Australian sea lions at present.

In addition to Charlie, they have a bull named Storm who was born December 2016 at Dolphin Marine Conservation Park. He was exchanged for a Taronga bred bull (Moby).

It was previously announced they had plans to breed Charlie and April (on loan from SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast Aquarium), so Storm would be the intended mate of the other cows, to whom he’s unrelated.

Prior to Birubi’s birth, Taronga had 2.1 New Zealand fur seals - Bondi, Keke and Abel. Bondi and Keke were the breeding pair. Birubi has since left and Kobi can now be added to that list.

 

[Osedax]

Prior to Birubi’s birth, Taronga had 2.1 New Zealand fur seals - Bondi, Keke and Abel. Bondi and Keke were the breeding pair. Birubi has since left and Kobi can now be added to that list.

I remember a recent mention of a third male named Olly.

I believe Taronga has two bull Australian sea lions at present.

In addition to Charlie, they have a bull named Storm who was born December 2016 at Dolphin Marine Conservation Park. He was exchanged for a Taronga bred bull (Moby).

Interesting. Would you by any chance know what happened to the male sea lion Torre (born 2017)?

It was previously announced they had plans to breed Charlie and April (on loan from SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast Aquarium), so Storm would be the intended mate of the other cows, to whom he’s unrelated.

Thanks for confirming that, I had previously misread this information and thought that April came from Seaworld.
I believe Charlie and April were introduced, but it didn't go very well and Charlie attacked her. I remember seeing her about a month after she arrived at Taronga with scars inflicted by Charlie's teeth.

 

[Zoofan15]

I remember a recent mention of a third male named Olly.

Yes, you’re correct - Ollie was born at Marineland Napier to their highly successful breeding pair, Angel and Primrose.

Ollie came to Taronga in 2014 when Marineland closed.

Interesting. Would you by any chance know what happened to the male sea lion Torre (born 2017)?.

Torre (DOB 05/11/2018) was transferred to Sea World in January 2021.

Max, born 2015 at Taronga to Malie and Lexi was also sent there.

I believe Charlie and April were introduced, but it didn't go very well and Charlie attacked her. I remember seeing her about a month after she arrived at Taronga with scars inflicted by Charlie's teeth.

That’s a shame. Presumably the plan from here is to mate her with Storm.

 

[Osedax]

Yes that’s correct - Ollie was born at Marineland Napier to their highly successful breeding pair, Angel and Primrose.

Ollie came to Taronga in 2014 when Marineland closed.

Very interesting. I remember someone from Taronga saying around 2019-2020 that they only had 1.1 fur seals - Bondi and Keke.
It’s also interesting to hear that Ollie came from Marineland.
So does that mean they currently have 4.1 then?

 

[Zoofan15]

Very interesting. I remember someone from Taronga saying around 2019-2020 that they only had 1.1 fur seals - Bondi and Keke.
It’s also interesting to hear that Ollie came from Marineland.
So does that mean they currently have 4.1 then?

In a 2021 episode of Wildlife at the Zoo (filmed 2020), it mentioned Taronga Zoo had three New Zealand fur seals - a male named Bondi, who was rescued 6.5 years previous from Bondi Beach, having sustained a gash from a boat propellor or shark; a then 11 year old female named Keke, who was found acting erratically after a suspected brain injury; and a young male named Abel, who had been bitten by a Cookie cutter shark.

No mention of Ollie, but @Abbey noted this year she believes Ollie to still be at Taronga. Ollie is actually a female, so that’d be 3.2 New Zealand fur seals if she’s still alive.

 

[Jambo]

I don't think the fur seals were Keke and Kobe. I saw Kobe last week and he still looked smaller than Keke, whereas both of the fur seals in Seal Cove looked fully-grown.
The sea lion was probably Amalie. April and Nala were in Seal Bay (the old Leopard Seal exhibit).
Thanks for the information about the female Australian Sea Lions. Would you happen to know how many males there are?
Would you also know how many Long-nosed Fur Seals are at Taronga? I have lost track.

Yes, you’re correct - Ollie was born at Marineland Napier to their highly successful breeding pair, Angel and Primrose.

Ollie came to Taronga in 2014 when Marineland closed.

Torre (DOB 05/11/2018) was transferred to Sea World in January 2021.

Max, born 2015 at Taronga to Malie and Lexi was also sent there.


That’s a shame. Presumably the plan from here is to mate her with Storm.

Very interesting. I remember someone from Taronga saying around 2019-2020 that they only had 1.1 fur seals - Bondi and Keke.
It’s also interesting to hear that Ollie came from Marineland.
So does that mean they currently have 4.1 then?

In a 2021 episode of Wildlife at the Zoo (filmed 2020), it mentioned Taronga Zoo had three New Zealand fur seals - a male named Bondi, who was rescued 6.5 years previous from Bondi Beach, having sustained a gash from a boat propellor or shark; a then 11 year old female named Keke, who was found acting erratically after a suspected brain injury; and a young male named Abel, who had been bitten by a Cookie cutter shark.

No mention of Ollie, but @Abbey noted this year she believes Ollie to still be at Taronga. Ollie is actually a female, so that’d be 3.2 New Zealand fur seals if she’s still alive.

Ollie's a girl and she's always lived with the breeding females; Amali and Keke. Ollie arrived from Marineland of Napier in 2014 (alongside some others which were sent to Melbourne and Seaworld as well around that time).

The only male Australian Sea Lions there at the moment are Charlie and Storm as has been mentioned.

Alongside them, there are five other males who perform in the seal show, and it's possible Kobe may have been sent up there too if he wasn't with Keke.

If Charlie and April have indeed experienced problems, it would make sense to then pair Storm with April and Nala. They would've been in the Seal Bay exhibit, leaving Amalie, Ollie and Keke to be in the Seal Cove exhibit which matches your description of two NZ Fur Seals and one female Australian Sea Lion.

Taronga currently have 2.2 New Zealand Fur Seals.

 

[Zoofan15]

Taronga currently have 2.2 New Zealand Fur Seals.

Did something happen to Bondi or Abel? Or has one of them been transferred out? Last I heard, both these males were at Taronga; with Kobe’s birth taking Taronga to 3.2 New Zealand fur seals - but there might have been a death/transfer I missed at some point.

 

[Abbey]

Ollie's a girl and she's always lived with the breeding females; Amali and Keke. Ollie arrived from Marineland of Napier in 2014 (alongside some others which were sent to Melbourne and Seaworld as well around that time).

The only male Australian Sea Lions there at the moment are Charlie and Storm as has been mentioned.

Alongside them, there are five other males who perform in the seal show, and it's possible Kobe may have been sent up there too if he wasn't with Keke.

If Charlie and April have indeed experienced problems, it would make sense to then pair Storm with April and Nala. They would've been in the Seal Bay exhibit, leaving Amalie, Ollie and Keke to be in the Seal Cove exhibit which matches your description of two NZ Fur Seals and one female Australian Sea Lion.

Taronga currently have 2.2 New Zealand Fur Seals.

Does this mean one of Bondi or Abel has been moved out of Taronga or passed away?

 

[Jambo]

Did something happen to Bondi or Abel? Or has one of them been transferred out? Last I heard, both these males were at Taronga; with Kobe’s birth taking Taronga to 3.2 New Zealand fur seals - but there might have been a death/transfer I missed at some point.

Does this mean one of Bondi or Abel has been moved out of Taronga or passed away?

Bondi's still there. Him and Kobe are the two males with Keke and Ollie being the two females.

I've never heard of a male named Abel interestingly.

I talked to a keeper when I visited last year and she didn't mention Abel at all; and additionally, all the seals I have listed matched up with how many she advised me they had then, so I don't think I missed one.

Since he was last mentioned in 2020, it's possible he may have passed sometime around then? I'm not entirely sure, but I might email them to confirm.

 

[Abbey]

Bondi's still there. Him and Kobe are the two males with Keke and Ollie being the two females.

I've never heard of a male named Abel interestingly.

I talked to a keeper when I visited last year and she didn't mention Abel at all; and additionally, all the seals I have listed matched up with how many she advised me they had then, so I don't think I missed one.

Since he was last mentioned in 2020, it's possible he may have passed sometime around then? I'm not entirely sure, but I might email them to confirm.

I just checked with my brother (who watched the Seal Show on Friday) and Abel is still alive, still at Taronga and participates in the Seal Show.

 

[Zoofan15]

Bondi's still there. Him and Kobe are the two males with Keke and Ollie being the two females.

I've never heard of a male named Abel interestingly.

I talked to a keeper when I visited last year and she didn't mention Abel at all; and additionally, all the seals I have listed matched up with how many she advised me they had then, so I don't think I missed one.

Since he was last mentioned in 2020, it's possible he may have passed sometime around then? I'm not entirely sure, but I might email them to confirm.

I just checked with my brother (who watched the Seal Show on Friday) and Abel is still alive, still at Taronga and participates in the Seal Show.

Good to know Abel is still alive, @Abbey.

Though I prefer California sea lions to the Australasian pinnipeds, I can’t deny the benefit of being able to acquire wild born founders on a regular basis through wild rescues.

 

[Jambo]

I just checked with my brother (who watched the Seal Show on Friday) and Abel is still alive, still at Taronga and participates in the Seal Show.

Thank you for that.

Interesting as the keeper mentioned they had just four NZ Fur Seals at the time; of which I assumed to be Keke, Ollie, Birubi and Bondi.

It's very likely she might have accidentally said the wrong thing; or more likely just have been talking about the adults (which would've discounted Birubi).

That would take the number of NZ Fur Seals to 3.2, alongside the four male Californian Sea Lions and the 2.4 Australian Sea Lions; they would have fifteen total.

 

[Zoofan15]

Taronga Zoo - Pinnipeds

Taronga Zoo has 15 pinnipeds:

———————————

California sea lion:

1.0 Cisco
1.0 Diego
1.0 Murphy
1.0 Pepper

Total: 4.0

———————————

Australian sea lion:

1.0 Charlie
1.0 Storm
0.1 Nala
0.1 April
0.1 Tarni
0.1 Amalie

Total: 2.4

———————————

New Zealand fur seal:

1.0 Bondi
1.0 Abel
1.0 Kobi
0.1 Ollie
0.1 Keke

Total: 3.2

———————————

 

[Osedax]

Taronga Zoo - Pinnipeds

Taronga Zoo has 15 pinnipeds:

———————————

California sea lion:

1.0 Cisco
1.0 Diego
1.0 Murphy
1.0 Pepper

Total: 4.0

———————————

Australian sea lion:

1.0 Charlie
1.0 Storm
0.1 Nala
0.1 April
0.1 Tarni
0.1 Amalie

Total: 2.4

———————————

New Zealand fur seal:

1.0 Bondi
1.0 Abel
1.0 Kobi
0.1 Ollie
0.1 Keke

Total: 3.2

———————————

It is also possible that the 1.0 Sub-Antarctic Fur Seal, Franklin, is still alive and at Taronga, however I don't believe he has been on display since 2019. That's when I last saw him, anyway.

 

[Zoofan15]

It is also possible that the 1.0 Sub-Antarctic Fur Seal, Franklin, is still alive and at Taronga, however I don't believe he has been on display since 2019. That's when I last saw him, anyway.

I assumed he was deceased as he hasn’t been mentioned for years. He lived with Keke for a while, but the last reference of those two as a social pairing was in 2016. He first came to Taronga circa 2011 and while there are exceptions, 10-15 years tends to be the average lifespan from what I’ve seen in the region.

 

[Jambo]

It is also possible that the 1.0 Sub-Antarctic Fur Seal, Franklin, is still alive and at Taronga, however I don't believe he has been on display since 2019. That's when I last saw him, anyway.

I believe Franklin is deceased unfortunately. Taronga only currently hold Australian Sea Lions, NZ Fur Seals and the Californian boys as per an email received a few days ago. Additionally, they only have fifteen seals at the moment and we’ve accounted for every one.

 

[Zoofan15]

Surviving Australian Sea Lion Pups

Following the birth of a female pup to Tarni earlier this year, I thought it’d be interesting to make a list of surviving Australian pups born at Taronga Zoo.

By my count, it’s eight pups:

0.1 Katanya (1996) ? x Kasha
0.1 Kira (2001) Orson x Kasha
0.1 Nala (2009) Malie x Kira
1.0 Max (2015) Malie x Lexie
1.0 Moby 2017) Charlie x Lexie
1.0 Torre (2018) Charlie x Nala
0.1 Amalie (2020) Charlie x Nala
0.1 Unnamed (2025) Charlie x Tarni

Nala (born January 2009) was noted to have been the first birth of her species at Taronga Zoo in seven years (Kira was born late 2001); and Max was noted to have been the first birth of his species in six years, so I’m confident no surviving pups were born between that timeframe.

I’m not aware of any surviving pups born between Katanya and Kira. A female named Karah was thought to be pregnant in 1997, but I can find no further record of a pup born to her and assume the pup (if she was pregnant) did not survive. Similarly, in 2021 it was reported that Tarni was pregnant and that Nala was thought to be pregnant - but no birth announcements followed (with miscarriages, stillbirths and neonate deaths being far from uncommon in pinnipeds).

 

[Trua]

Surviving Australian Sea Lion Pups

Following the birth of a female pup to Tarni earlier this year, I thought it’d be interesting to make a list of surviving Australian pups born at Taronga Zoo.

By my count, it’s eight pups:

0.1 Katanya (1996) ? x Kasha
0.1 Kira (2001) Orson x Kasha
0.1 Nala (2009) Malie x Kira
1.0 Max (2015) Malie x Lexie
1.0 Moby 2017) Charlie x Lexie
1.0 Torre (2018) Charlie x Nala
0.1 Amalie (2020) Charlie x Nala
0.1 Unnamed (2025) Charlie x Tarni

Nala (born January 2009) was noted to have been the first birth of her species at Taronga Zoo in seven years (Kira was born late 2001); and Max was noted to have been the first birth of his species in six years, so I’m confident no surviving pups were born between that timeframe.

I’m not aware of any surviving pups born between Katanya and Kira. A female named Karah was thought to be pregnant in 1997, but I can find no further record of a pup born to her and assume the pup (if she was pregnant) did not survive. Similarly, in 2021 it was reported that Tarni was pregnant and that Nala was thought to be pregnant - but no birth announcements followed (with miscarriages, stillbirths and neonate deaths being far from uncommon in pinnipeds).

Looks pretty accurate. I remember Nala's birth was celebrated as it was the first in a while and the first also in the new GSO. Cheers for putting this together. It's marvelous to see breeding taking off again.