Rare Seahorses to be Exhibited at Ocean Park Hong Kong

    For those immigrating to Hong Kong, pay attention to the Hong Kong travel guide: According to reports, Ocean Park Hong Kong will hold "Animal Discovery Month" from the 5th of next month to May 11th. It will feature a seahorse-themed "Seahorse Discovery Center," hosting the largest seahorse exhibition in Hong Kong. The exhibition will showcase 14 precious seahorse species, including the "pygmy seahorse," the world's smallest seahorse measuring no more than one inch in length; the "big-belly seahorse," which inflates its belly to attract mates; and the "banded pipefish," making its debut in Hong Kong. "Animal Discovery Month" will feature a series of activities, such as the "Animal Base Guided Tour," allowing visitors the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the animal care facilities.

 

 

Ocean Park Chairman Allan Zeman stated that Hong Kong is one of the important trade centers for dried seahorses, and seahorses are frequently overfished for traditional medicine or suffer from habitat destruction. Therefore, holding a seahorse exhibition in Hong Kong is particularly meaningful. He continued that according to data, there were previously three different species of seahorses in Hong Kong waters, including the yellow seahorse (commonly known as the "pipe seahorse"), the three-spot seahorse, and the thorny seahorse; the latter two have not been recorded in recent years.

In addition, Sin Ying-tung, Assistant Manager of Scientific Projects at the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong, stated that the Conservation Foundation launched Hong Kong's first seahorse tagging program last year. They surveyed 27 locations and conducted 55 searches, discovering a total of 10 yellow seahorses in the Sai Kung waters, and tagged 5 of them that were of suitable size.

Seahorse Tagging Scope to Expand

In the first three months of this year, the Conservation Foundation tagged two more yellow seahorses. The Conservation Foundation recently received approval from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to conduct seahorse tagging in Yan Chau Tong Marine Park and Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park. It is believed that the tagging program will be more comprehensive, providing important scientific data for future coastal infrastructure projects in Hong Kong and serving as a reference for environmental impact assessments.

During "Animal Discovery Month," Ocean Park is also launching the "Animal Base Guided Tour," giving visitors the opportunity to visit the animal logistics facilities in depth.

During the process, animal experts will provide explanations on the care and knowledge of various animals, such as seals, giant pandas, dolphins, jellyfish, and golden snub-nosed monkeys. Furthermore, Ocean Park is opening its behind-the-scenes facilities of the North Pole Encounter for the first time, allowing visitors to observe the interesting lives of seals.