Seals and sea lions adapt to a new, year-round home at Como Zoo

That splashing sound you may hear as you walk by the new Como Harbor exhibit at the Como Zoo and Conservatory?

Senior zookeeper Allison Jungheim says "it's all part of their breeding stuff, even though they're two males. And they just feel like they should."

The harbor seals blow bubbles and make mouth popping sounds, too. But they’re about 1,500 hundred miles from a harbor with prospective females.

The pair have been swimming around and making noise in one of the new pools at Como Harbor, part of a custom-built, 250,000-gallon outdoor tank that's been in the works for nearly a decade. It's more than twice as big as the old tank and replaces a Depression-era seasonal exhibit, known as Seal Island. It’s the centerpiece of a new $21 million aquatic animal upgrade at Como Zoo. The grand opening is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m.

"It's heated and cooled year-round,” Como campus manager Michelle Furrer described the salt water environment. “The rockwork along the edges is heated so that they can bask in the sun in the winter months. And also so the keepers can go out to the spaces without having to worry about shoveling or melting ice to get out." 

The exhibit above the waterline is designed to mimic the rugged Oregon sea coast. A massive shade awning over a new, bigger and handicap-accessible amphitheater will help keep visitors cool and protect the animals’ eyes. 

The entire front of the tank is a tall, clear acrylic wall, so visitors can watch the seals underwater. The back wall of the tank is also transparent, in a separate, year-round viewing area, complete with an air curtain to keep the glass from fogging over in cold weather. 

“The California sea lions are very playful, says Furrer, “So when they start to see kids up at the glass it almost seems like they're following them around and performing or interacting with them with that nose-to-nose experience. 

“We haven't had that here before with the sea lions and the harbor seals." 

Como Harbor is part of a new generation of zoo exhibits with an emphasis on space for the inhabitants, giving them options they can choose from. Como Zoo also makes room for creatures that otherwise might perish in the wild. The zoo's two new grey seals, which just arrived in February, were found blind and stranded in New England. 

The roomy exhibit is a big change from what Como used to have — the zoo equivalent of concrete swimming pools. The redesign started in 2012 and took a Herculean effort to realize. After the old exhibit closed in 2017 and digging started, crews found a buried sewer line that needed rebuilding. The unexpected project added a year to the construction timeline. 

Como Harbor was supposed to open last year, but the pandemic froze those plans.

The zoo's aquatic animals building also received a facelift. The zoo’s staff grew to maintain the bigger facilities. Scuba divers were scrubbing the tank clean last week, getting ready for a big ribbon cutting. There are also new facilities, restrooms and a food building nearby.

The Minnesota Legislature borrowed $15 million for the project four years ago. The rest has come from corporate and private donations.

Despite the exhibit's opening, it is still a work in progress. COVID-19 restrictions require zoo visitor reservations. The Sparky show is on hold, for now.

"This space, everything is new,” Jungheim said. “So getting even a person on microphone is a little bit shocking for [the sea lions] at times. And making sure that they're comfortable in the area that they are supposed to do the show is also a challenge."  

But she says the show will go on, maybe as soon as the fall. 

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