The other day I visited the Morro Bay Aquarium. The experience haunts me: The poor seals swimming in circles in small tanks. The sea lion crying endlessly with nothing to see, perhaps connecting with a wild friend. The indoor enclosure felt like a dark prison. The tanks, all much too small, have nothing natural to simulate the animal’s natural environment.
It’s a dismal, sad place, unacceptable and outrageous considering where it’s located. The aquarium lease is up for renewal. I hope the mayor and City Council will deny the lease and transport these animals to a humane more natural environment.
This article appears in Mar 21-28, 2013.