Conservationists make the argument that zoos and aquariums protect and breed animals who are endangered while bringing awareness to children and adults alike. The Calgary Zoo in Canada states on their website that zoos “raise public awareness of conservation needs; and inspire millions of visitors to take actions to preserve both species and essential habitat. As millions of visitors learn more about the species that share our planet, they are empowered to make a difference and take action to become part of the solution instead of contributing to the problem.” Another important factor is that we get to see these amazing creatures and understand they are full of complex emotions, no different than ours.The family visited the Oceanographic Aquarium Marine Park in Valencia, Spain. They uploaded one of the videos they took on social media. It quickly went viral.
The sea lion came towards her to explore, but was captivated by the pattern on the umbrella. As Tina twirled her umbrella around, the pattern of polka dots on the canopy fascinated the playful sea lion so much that he also began to twirl along with it. At first, he just stared at it and did a few flips, but then he started spinning. The sea lion grabbed its tail flippers in his mouth and continued to barrel roll in the water with the circling pattern on the umbrella.
The sea lion would pause to go to surface to breathe and return to continue whirling with it. He seemed as if he was hypnotized, even when other visitors tried to distract him. When the umbrella was finally closed, he came out of his trance and went back to his normal life.
->**Watch the video to see the special encounter the tourist had with the sea lion.**<-
There are seven species of sea lions found all over the world. They are an endangered species.
