Sea life Center

[Cupofteaonesugar]

So I just wanted to vent about my experience at the sea life Center at the Trafford Center today.
I too. My sons, both enjoyed but enjoyed the soft play area the most 🙈
I took them because I thought seeing all the different sealife would be interesting and hopefully why might learn something too but as I was walking round all I could think was how awful I felt that all these poor sea creatures were swimming around in tiny tanks and that is just their life. They should have a massive ocean but they have a tiny tank. They've probably been in those tanks for years and if I go to the Trafford Center again ina. Fe a months I will have lived my life in the meantime and they will just be in those tanks!
In one room there's a circle tank with fish and sting rays swimming round and round and round. It's TINY!!!
Also... the Center itself is so small! It's advertised as being a 1/2 day activity but we were done within 1.5 hours and that included the soft play!
It was an over all disappointment for me but I feel worse that I even took them there and funded this sort of industry if that's what you want to call it!
We went to legoland after and for a wander and had a fab day. But I just feel so sad for all those little creatures :(

Apologies for the typos!!!!!!

Watch Blackfish op. Your mind will never be the same.

The one at Hunstanton is a seal rescue sanctuary. They take in sick and injured seals, treat them, restore them to health and release them into the wild again.

I've heard of that before but I haven't watched it yet, I'm not sure if I can 🙈
I'm selfishly so interested in seeing animals I don't see in day to day life but I just feel absolutely horrendous when I do.
I went to Blackpool zoo a few years ago with eldest and again this year with my youngest and every animal I saw I just thought.... in the past three years ive had a baby and a life etc etc and you've just been here 😢
I'm not saying that their are givers don't love them as my friend is actually a zoo keeper and she literally lives for those animals. But it's just not what they need. Very sad. Weird feelings after going today!

Visited there today, they had lots of rescue seals in. Very cute but also doing a great job of getting them big and healthy enough to be released.

Did you not know what a Sea Life Centre was before you visited?

Yea of course I did but I think I was just so shocked with how small and crammed everything was.
I haven't been before so I didn't really know what to expect!

I totally support this! This would be a much nicer experience 🥰

The one at Tynemouth is the same. The only seals they keep are ones that are unsuitable for release and wouldn't be able to survive in the world. And no captive dolphins at all. It's a nice day out. The sanctuary itself is fairly small but there's a lovely beach, a few cafes and shops and mini golf nearby.

This is why I never ever will step foot in a sea life centre, they’re disgusting imo.

you’re not being unreasonable at all!

Thank you OP for giving your experience thought and posting about it. Leave a Trust Pilot review. Write to them expressing your thoughts. Be the change. You're absolutely right. I totally understand the remorse at funding Sea Life.

I remember visiting some sort of theme park in Windsor in the late 80s and taking photos. I have them now, and one is of a single Orca /Killer Whale in a tiny outdoor circular tank. Shamefully, being young and ignorant I didn't think much of it. Of course it would have been going slowly mad, crippling depressed and alone. We're far more educated as a society now and Films like "Black Fish" (a must watch and eye opening film) have brought to the public consciousness how cruel keeping ocean dwellers in tanks is.

Sea Life London were keeping their Gentoo Penguins underground in the dark, while claiming they loved it. I really hope that's not still the case.

Totally agree. Any form of captivity of any kind of animal/bird/fish is utterly wrong. They are in prison and they've done nothing wrong. Shame on the human race.

I took my son there a few years ago at the Trafford Centre and I thought it was super expensive for what it was (and also the Lego Centre next door). Most of the fist/creatures were in extremely cramped conditions.I recall an octopus in tiny tank with just an old fashioned sea diver’s helmet to swim in and out of. I’m really into a animal welfare and some zoos have massively improved but the sea life centres should be ashamed of themselves. They’re not investing the admission prices into animal welfare and conservation.

fish not fist

I meant to add watch the film The Cove. It’s about dolphins being captured in the wild and taken into captivity for theme parks and a lot of them died in the process. One of the dolphins actually committed suicide whilst in captivity. It’s utterly heartbreaking.

Yep

The London sea life centre is awful. We went 10 years ago and the penguins are kept in a room. Just awful. Will never go back to one.

Thank you for your response, very motivating! ♥️

Also I want to add to my post, I also felt like the glass the fish were swimming behind was so manipulated to make them look bigger then what they actually were that I couldn't even really take it in. I hope that makes sense. It was like thy were behind a lens with a magnifying glass!!!