Another visit to an aquarium. A few figures: over 500 different species, three floors and two million litres of water. This aquarium is underground – tunnels, caverns, all very dark. In the centre, a huge tank runs through the three floors. Underwater tunnels, glass walkways and a ray lagoon. It seems that the animals here were rescued from the wild or born in the aquarium. Nevertheless, I found it sad to see the two green sea turtles, Boris and Dougie, swimming in circles in their aquarium or one of the Gentoo penguins looking sadly into the distance at the painting of its natural environment. I look forward to the time when I no longer have to visit these aquariums.
“It was a heart-breaking sight to witness these beautiful and intelligent animals staring at a poorly painted mirage of their home, and to be faced with the reality of how far removed their living conditions are to what they would be in the wild.”(An Investigator’s Insights Into Sealife London Aquarium . Freedom for Animals. 2023)