why now?

Our outdoor pool exhibit was built more than 40 years ago! It was well designed to meet the needs of the animals in our care back then, but we have learned a lot about animal wellbeing since then. We’ve decided to make some changes to ensure to ongoing comfort and safety of our seals.

Our priorities for the project include:

• Adding an access ramp to facilitate animal transport in and out of the exhibit in a way that minimizes stress on the animals.
• Creating more “beach” space for the seals to haul out of the water to relax. This also provides more room for the animals to participate in training and husbandry activities.
• Replacing the natural shale in the exhibit. While it is a beautiful representation of the geology of the Niagara Gorge, the elements have taken their toll, and it is necessary to replace the infrastructure with modern building materials to ensure the exhibit remains safe for years to come. 

what about the animals?

A Pinniped Vacation:  

The Aquarium of Niagara is well-equipped to house animals during periods of exhibit maintenance. Harbor seals Stryker and Lumiere will be hanging out with our sea lions in the Aquarium’s main pool for the duration of the project. They aren’t quite up-to-speed on our presentations yet, but you may see them entering the main pool in-between presentation times or in the tunnel to our backstage pool. 

Getting Closer:   

While our seal interaction program is on hold during the construction, guests can still interact with our harbor seals and sea lions through our Trainer for a Day program! 

what now?

Entering the Building: 

Guests should follow the pathway at the northwestern corner of our parking lot—all the way to the left if you’re facing the main building—through Whirlpool Commons to reach our main entrance.

Please note, there are stairs from Whirlpool Commons to the entrance so guests with accessibility needs should take the path to the right of the main building to reach our accessible entrance at the back of the building.

Project Completion:

While we do not have a hard date for the project to be completed, we anticipate the work will finish this fall and the seals will be reintroduced ahead of winter.