ANIMALS ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE: Animal Scene managing editor JEFFREY LIM takes you on a virtual tour of one of Bangkok’s best sea animal-themed attractions
On our recent trip to Bangkok to explore the various fish farms there, we also took a side trip to see Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World. Sea Life is the number one aquarium brand in the world, with parks across Europe, the USA, Australia, and Asia, and perhaps their most famous attractions are their Legoland theme parks in Germany, Denmark, and the UK.
Instead of capturing marine specimens for their aquariums, Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World (and its sister aquariums across the world) instead rescue already captive or injured creatures and nurse them back to health. Their exhibits, such as the Rocky Hideout for giant spider crabs and giant octopi, are created based on compatible species.
Other themed zones at Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World include the Shark Walk, where you cross a clear walkway right above the sharks; the Coral Reef, Seahorse Kingdom, and Tropical Rainforest, which immerse you in those kinds of environments; the Rock Pools and Rocky Shore, which can be explored; the Tropical Ocean and Ocean Tunnel, where you can interact with their divers and see endangered species being conserved; the Shark Shipwreck, which showcases a real sunken ship; and a Jellies display featuring jellyfish.
Our guide said that their objective was to provide the experience of fun learning to children and adults alike, and that they work to conserve using the strategy of “breed, rescue, and protect.” They take pride in working with hundreds of marine biologists, aquarists, and other support staff at their aquariums across the world, and with marine and specialists organizations such as Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Earth Sea and Sky, the Marine Conservation Society, and The Seahorse Trust. The ultimate goal is to “inspire all visitors to care and have an active interest in protecting the marine environment.” Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World is at the B1-B2 Floor, Siam Paragon, 991 Rama I Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, Thailand. You can visit www.sealifebangkok.com for more information.