Staci
© A. Reitsma, Aquarium of the Pacific
Milo & Harpo swimming in their new home.
It’s been about a month since my last update on Harpo and Milo, our two youngest California sea lions. It’s my pleasure to report that this past Thursday, March 20, these two frisky pinnipeds joined the rest of our flippered family in the 211,000 gallon Seal and Sea Lion Habitat and now you can come and welcome them, too!
Milo was born in May 2006 at another facility. He had to be hand raised by husbandry specialists because his mother wasn’t quite ready for a pup at the time of his birth. He was bottle fed for a while, and then weaned on to fish. While he and Harpo were housed behind-the-scenes, Milo would always try to be the dominant one and boss Harpo around. Since they have gone into the main exhibit, however, it seems Milo is also interested in making some new friends!
Harpo was born a month later than Milo, and the two have been together ever since. If there’s one thing that young sea lions love to do, it’s play! Harpo is a very playful sea lion, even if he has to play by himself. One of his favorite things to play with is ice! He’ll take a cube and toss it in the air, catch it, toss it, catch it, until it finally melts. Then he moves on to the next cube. Occasionally during a feeding/training session he’ll do the same thing with his fish. With his playful demeanor, he’s made some new friends in the Seal and Sea Lion Habitat as well!
I had some time during my volunteer day last Friday to observe how things were going in the exhibit. It seems that all is well, and Parker (our 6 year old male) is showing the new kids around just like he did with Odin. The four of them can frequently be seen swimming around the exhibit, hanging out together. There were even a few times they were all floating on the raft together, either barking at one another or sleeping. The sight of all of them sharing that raft is one of the cutest things I’ve seen in a long time! I recommend a visit to the Aquarium sometime in the near future so you can witness Harpo’s playfulness and Milo’s mischievousness for yourself. Come and have a look at the newest members of our fantastic, dynamic pinniped family!
Staci
Tuesday, April 01, 2008 02:49 PM
I agree, Alexi! It is pretty exciting! They complete the family quite nicely. At least you’re very close so you can visit them whenever you like!
Sarah Fortier
Wednesday, April 02, 2008 12:22 PM
Hi Staci! It was so fun to read your blog about Milo and Harpo, I’m glad they are doing well and I bet seeing all 4 of them on the raft is the cutest thing ever! I miss that little Milo…
Staci
Friday, April 04, 2008 11:14 PM
Sarah!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the read, and I’m sure Milo misses you, too! We all do! Maybe one of these days you can come to visit. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
Devin Baker
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 04:51 PM
4/15/08
I would like to state my opinion and voice my opposition to the use and captivity of Whales and Dolphins in the military defense industry in the U.S, and most likely, in other countries of the world. Also the captivity of Whales, Dolphins and Marine Mammals in theme parks like Seaworld which is known to operate in other countries outside the U.S. The exploitation of Whales and Dolphins in these theme parks seems to have become a worldwide phenomenon and is most likely poorly regulated and abusive beyond the cruelty of captivity. A related note that should be addressed is the hunting of Whales and Dolphins and other Marine Mammals by Norway, Iceland, Japan, and the Faeroe Islands and seal hunting in Canada. I would also like to express my opinion concerning the inherent cruelty of confining Whales and Dolphins in aquarium tanks and other types of confining structures on the land or in the sea. Whales and Dolphins have been known for years to be highly intelligent creatures with a brain to body ratio similar to that of Human Beings, especially so if you were to discount the percentage of actual body weight that is blubber/fat. This brain to body ratio is known, and has been known for quite some time to be an indicator of great intelligence. Also the Whale and Dolphin brain is extremely convoluted, apparently even more so than the Human Brain, Complexity of brain convolutions is also known to be an indicator of great intelligence. This information also has been known and available now for many years by many people around the world. It’s even been speculated and observed that they appear to have their own languages and close familial bonds and friendships and have been known to exhibit kindness and gentleness towards Human Beings lost at sea or in distress in the water. This information also has been known and available now for many years to many people. Knowing this, I find the captivity and confinement of Whales and Dolphins to be an abomination. We can imagine the horror of these highly intelligent creatures in confinement knowing that they normally travel many hundreds or thousands of miles in their travels through the oceans in their natural state of existence. Also I believe that the captivity and confinement of Whales and Dolphins in aquarium tanks or any other type of confining structures on the land or in the sea, similar to, or equivalent to, Human Beings being held captive in confining room sized structures at the at the bottom of the Ocean. Therefore I believe the captivity of these creatures ( Whales and Dolphins ) to be an abomination. Holding them in captivity and hunting and killing them, I believe, is immoral and even sinful, and I would like to see this practice come to an end and to be outlawed around the world. I would also like to see the governments of the world end and outlaw the practice of utilizing Whales, Dolphins and Marine Mammals in military defense operations involving these highly intelligent creatures and to end their confinement on the land or in the sea. If you read in the Old Testament of the Bible ( The King James Version ) you’ll find there is a reference to them in Leviticus 11:9-11:12 which states.......
11:9 “These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.”
11:10 “And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you.”
11:11 “They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.”
11:12 “Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.”
.....also in the Book of Genesis which states.....
11:19 “And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”
11:20 “And God said, let the waters bring fourth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”
11:21 “ And God created the great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
11:22 “And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”
.........Knowing this we should practice compassion and kindness and not hold Whales, Dolphins and Marine Mammals in captivity and confinement on the land or in the sea for the purpose of entertainment, or education, or observation, or military defense or other reasons, and we should not hunt and kill them for food or other reasons. We should instead focus on and make an effort to keep the oceans and the land pollution free through some of these suggestions when possible: recycling, using biodegradables, which includes biodegradable plastics and chemicals, organics, alternative energy like wind, solar and geothermal and perhaps electric automobiles powered by these alternative energy sources.....or I suppose having no car at all, if possible. Utilizing mass transit, disposing of chemicals responsibly and treating the livestock animals that we farm and eat with dignity and respect which includes free range farming and humane slaughtering methods and any other number of reasonable ways to prevent the pollution of the waters and the lands.We must also make a sustained and real effort not to disturb Whales, Dolphins and Marine life in other ways which may disturb them or disrupt their way of life.......military sonar, excessive shipping, excessive fishing, oil and gas drilling, mining, irresponsible polluting tourism or entertainment or industry on the oceans or along the coastlines of the oceans which may disrupt or destroy marine habitat. We should instead focus on and make an effort to keep the oceans and the lands pollution free and treat our neighbors in the oceans with the compassion and the respect that they so justly deserve and honor their right to freedom.
Sincerely-Devin Baker,
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Staci
Thursday, April 17, 2008 07:13 PM
Hello, Devin!
Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your opinions on this matter. As you probably know, the Aquarium doesn’t house whales or dolphins. Our seals, sea lions, and sea otters were either born in a protected environment (such as an aquarium or zoo) or rescued and deemed unreleasable, meaning that they would not be able to survive on their own if returned to their natural environment. Thank you so much for sharing your passion and enthusiasm for marine mammals, the environment, and conservation.
~Staci
© A. Reitsma, Aquarium of the Pacific
This may be the sea lion equivalent to a handshake!
Alexi Holford
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 06:35 PM
What a wonderful day it was when Milo and Harpo got introduced to their new digs. So exciting!
I need to come by and see them again. I miss them already!