There are still Elephant Seals in captivity.

FWC said:
Well now this is two confirmed elephant seals :)
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While not in permanent captivity, the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA routinely has young elephant seals at their center. In fact, they hope to release a pair of pups back into the wild very soon.

sea-lion-waamm-228px-right.jpg
 
Chlidonias said:
yes, there have been photos of it in the Zoochat gallery for over two years now.....
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I'm pretty sure this is a topic that has been brought up several times before, I've even taken part in at least one thread on the subject... :rolleyes:
 
I know that Sea Paradise has elephant seals! I’m not sure how many they have, though. I believe the Marine Mammal Center keeps them, too. I will have to search for some photos of them on here. Interesting topic, though. I’ve never really thought much about elephant seals before. I only think they are being kept in South American and Asian zoos, though.
 
This isn't an original thought.. but given Blackpool's ownership, its coastal location, and (maybe) the desirability of making the zoo as distinct from both Chester and Knowsley as possible, I do wonder if anyone thinks that a deeper foray into marine mammals than simply Californian Sealions might be a long-term strategic aim?
 
Because the bulls five meters long and 3 tons in weight? Because even the cows weight two tons and are three meters in length? And because they dive deeper than sperm whales?

Also, we're still fumbling our way to being able to breed walrus in captivity, I don't think anyone's ever breed elephant seals.

Keeping them, at least keeping them in an exhibit that it good for them and shows them off properly would be very expensive.

Having said that, it would be fantastic to get to see them close up, and even better to see them underwater. Even on nature documentaries you normally see them hauled out.
 
lamna said:
(...) I don't think anyone's ever breed elephant seals.
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Zoo Berlin had several Southern elephant seal births during the 1960s till the 1980s. Unfortunately, most of them were stillbirths, and only one (handraised Antje, born in 1977) lived longer than half a year. Other European zoos (Antwerp, Stuttgart, Munich) also witnessed births (Antwerp's being the world's first in captivity), but most of them were stillbirths and only one or two survived longer than a year.
Breeding the southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina L at Antwerp Zoo

Don't know about the situation for the Northern and Southern in the Americas or Asia...
 
Unfortunatly I can't open the link but saw the article is from 1978. Stuttgart Zoo already bred one succesfully in 1965 ! This female "Isolde" was raised succesfully but at an age of 1.5 year she died because she had eaten large amounts of gravel/ sand...... :(
 
vogelcommando said:
Unfortunatly I can't open the link but saw the article is from 1978. Stuttgart Zoo already bred one succesfully in 1965 ! This female "Isolde" was raised succesfully but at an age of 1.5 year she died because she had eaten large amounts of gravel/ sand...... :(
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Isolde was what I menat with "only one or two survived longer than a year." I don't know how long the specimen in Antwerp survived. However, you're correct-1965 predates 1977.
 
Cat-Man said:
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...ypgdGzFa1eWIZYQLhlJQpZA&bvm=bv.89217033,d.d2s

According to this website, The Bejing Zoo Aquarium contains a 'sea elephant' which when I google searched, only came up with results for Elephant Seal.
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sea elephant is indeed an alternative name for elephant seal, however I suspect that article is a translation from Chinese so the meaning may not be clear. They certainly didn't have any when I was there (although they did have dolphins and belugas). I don't know where they would even keep elephant seals if they had them.
 
following on from the above, the Beijing Aquarium has sealions in their dolphin show. I didn't see them but I think they may be viewed only during the shows. From photos they look to be Patagonian sealions but I am open to correction. The male is very big so the term "sea elephant" from the article likely refers to him.
 
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