CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will say goodbye to its seal and sea lions this year.
An 11-year-old harbor seal named Onion and two 17-year-old sea lions, Annabelle and Hera, are to be shipped out this year – destination unknown. They won’t be replaced.
Their fate will be decided by an industry group known as the Species Survival Plan that adheres to the guidelines of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said Chris Kuhar, executive director of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
The sea mammals, which dine on smelt and related capelin, entertain visitors in the Wilderness Trek area of the zoo. But their pen will need multi-millions of dollars in upgrades to the filtration system for them to keep living there, Kuhar said, and the money is not in the budget.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo opened its seal and sea lion enclosure more than 40 years ago. Onion has been there since 2016, while Annabelle arrived in 2010 and Hera in 2018.
Once they are gone, their home will be renovated to accommodate a land animal, but zoo officials aren’t yet sure which animal will go there.
“We move animals in and out all the time,” Kuhar said.
The most significant exodus he can remember happened more than 17 years ago when the zoo shipped its chimpanzees to Knoxville, Tennessee, to create more space for the gorillas.
While the seal and sea lions are appealing to visitors, they don’t stack up to the elephants when it comes to fan favorites, Kuhar said, nor even the gorillas, tigers and rhinos, among other prime attractions.
With the departure of Onion, Annabelle and Hera, the most similar aquatic animals remaining will be three Asian small-clawed otters – Bitzy, Kibble and Budiwanti – who are freshwater mammals. They are staying in temporary housing away from the public eye while their Primate Forest habitat gets refurbished.
After that work is complete, the zoo expects to tackle changes to the bear exhibit.
