Sea Lions at the El Paso Zoo - using technology to create a healthy habitat

The California sea lion exhibit is one of the most popular attractions at the Zoo. It is also one of the most complex. The exhibit has a high tech array of filtration and water treatment processes occurring behind the scenes 24 hours a day. The water treatment process is so extensive that it actually occupies its own separate building.

Unlike the Zoo's old sea lion exhibit, the new sea lion habitat is filled with salt water. Sea lions naturally thrive in salt water and this change has provided a vast improvement over the fresh water of the old exhibit. Salt water is especially beneficial for the sea lions' skin and eye health. However, like many sea lions that have spent a good portion of their lives in fresh water, some irreversible health problems were inevitable. For example the Zoo's male sea lion "Sunny", who was born at the Zoo in 1986, has eye problems that the Zoo veterinarian and a veterinary eye specialist will have to manage for the rest of his life.

To help maintain the quality of water in the exhibit, Zoo staff closely monitor several water quality parameters on a daily and weekly basis. This monitoring helps ensure that important chemical and biological safety guidelines are met. The sea lion water has regularly passed these tests under the guidelines of the USDA, which regulates marine mammal care in the US.

The Zoo is trying to take its water quality management to an even higher level. The zoo veterinarian and animal care staff are monitoring some parameters that the USDA and other marine mammal professionals have not traditionally tested. In response to the data the Zoo is gathering, we hope to proactively modify the sea lion water treatment system to further improve water quality. During a professional evaluation of our facilities later this month, consulting aquatic systems engineers to some of the most advanced North American marine mammal facilities will be aiding the Zoo in its effort. With their help, the El Paso Zoo hopes to continue improving the overall water quality and sea lion care.