Substandard Adelaide Zoo conditions for sea lions Ady and Tasko could drive them to a new home

ADELAIDE Zoo’s sea lions Ady and Tasko could be headed to deeper waters after complaints about their enclosure and a petition signed by tens of thousands saw the zoo concede their home was not ideal.

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ADELAIDE Zoo is looking for a new home for its two Australian sea lions after acknowledging their enclosure has never been ideal.

Sea lions are renowned for their deep diving skills and have been known to dive as deep as 275m in the search of food. However, Adelaide Zoo’s two Australian sea lions, Ady and Tasko, spend their days playing in water about the size of a backyard swimming pool but only about 1m deep.

The conditions have prompted a petition, signed by more than 35,000 people, calling for the sea lions to be moved to a bigger enclosure.

Now the zoo — which has long admitted the enclosure for female Ady and male Tasko isn’t up to scratch — says it may have a new home for the pair.

Ady was born at Adelaide Zoo in 1997 but spent a stint at SeaWorld for 10 years before moving home.

The sea lion enclosure at the Adelaide Zoo. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Her buddy Tasko was born at Dolphin Marine Magic in Coffs Harbour in 2003 before moving to the Adelaide Zoo enclosure in 2009.

After searching for a new home for the seals for a number of years, SA Zoos’ director of life sciences Peter Clark told the Sunday Mail the zoo has been very open about the fact that Seal Bay at Adelaide Zoo needs improvement.

“There are a very limited number of accredited facilities within Australia that could adequately accommodate our sea lions, so to date a reputable new home has not been found,” he said.

“Born in captivity, Ady and Tasko are not able to be released into the wild.

“We are constantly and actively engaging in discussions with several facilities about the possibility of them accommodating our beautiful duo, and hope to have an answer from one facility within the coming months.”

Visitors view the sea lion enclosure at the Adelaide Zoo. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Mr Clark did not disclose where the new facility could be.

“If it’s found the facility in question is unable to rehome Ady and Tasko, we will commence planning an upgrade to Seal Bay, which would include an increase in the size of their exhibit and depth of their pool,” Mr Clark said.

“Our keeping team and the whole Adelaide Zoo family absolutely adore Ady and Tasko and will continue to provide them with mental and physical stimulation that encourages species-appropriate behaviour until a new home is found.”

A petition on Change.org gathered 34,000 signatures last year before being reopened last week with an aim of putting increased pressure on the Adelaide Zoo.