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Maggie Doucette
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Canada’s Largest Indoor Aquarium Now Open
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada Welcomes First Guests in Toronto
TORONTO, ON – Toronto’s newest and most exciting attraction, Ripley’s Aquarium of
Canada, opened its doors to the public October 16th. Containing over 5.7 million litres
of water, the 12,500 square metre (135,000 square foot) interactive attraction
immerses guests in a thrilling underwater adventure that showcases more than 16,000
marine animals. Open 365 days a year, Canada’s largest indoor aquarium features the
biggest shark collection in North America, one of the world’s most extensive jelly fish
exhibits, 65+ year old giant lobsters, sting ray and bamboo shark touch pools and
daily live dive shows.
From the heart-pounding experience of Dangerous Lagoon, a football-field length
glass viewing tunnel with moving glide-path sidewalk through sharks, green sea
turtles, sawfish and moray eels; to the hypnotic dance of Pacific sea nettle jelly fish
which illuminate an array of breathtaking colours from within the world’s largest
kreisel tank at Planet Jellies, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada will captivate Torontonians
as well as guests from around the world and is expected to draw over 2 million visitors
per year.
Among the awe-inspiring exhibits, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada features:
•
The Canadian Waters Gallery – 17 exhibits of aquatic animals from Canada’s own
backyard including extremely rare electric blue lobsters from the Atlantic Ocean,
unusual Arctic Grayling, giant Pacific octopuses, and a 180-degree Pacific Kelp
panel exhibit with wave-making actions that simulate the British Columbia
shoreline.
•
The 420,000 litre Rainbow Reef tank with 60 varieties of colourful species from the
Caribbean and Indo-Pacific regions including tangs, surgeonfish, angles, butterfly
fish, damsels, chromis and clownfish.
•
A fun-for-all-ages Discovery Centre with tsunami simulator, Great Lakes locks
exhibit, horseshoe crab touch pools, yellow ‘research’ submarine, Shark Reef crawl
tunnel, and bubble peekaboo pop-ups among adorable pufferfish or the everpopular clown fish.
•
Ray Bay where dozens of sting rays playfully swim across a large viewing area and
to the surface of the interactive Ray touch pool.
•
The Gallery featuring exotic marine life such as the delicate sea horse and leafy sea
dragons, as well as some of the world’s most poisonous fish - lionfish and stone
fish.
•
A revolutionary behind the scenes look at actual Life Support System of two of the
Aquarium’s largest tanks; Dangerous Lagoon and Ray Bay.
•
More than 100 interactive exhibits including touch pools, multimedia displays and
learning centres.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is also home to a highly-experienced animal husbandry
team of more than 20 marine biologists and aquarists. Under the leadership of
Director of Husbandry, Andy Dehart, the team is responsible for the long-term care of
the animals in the exhibit, as well as overseeing water chemistry, animal nutrition, and
animal enrichment. The Aquarium strictly adheres to the standards of animal welfare,
veterinary care, wildlife conservation, scientific research, education, staffing, and
safety, as regulated by Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and the Canadian
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA).
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is wholly owned and operated by Ripley Entertainment
Inc., a subsidiary of Vancouver-based, The Jim Pattison Group.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada has recently launched a new “Time Tickets” program so
guests are able to conveniently reserve tickets in advance online for the date and time
they wish to visit, thus enabling guests to plan their visit in advance and eliminating
the need to wait in long lines.
The Aquarium will sell a limited number of tickets per arrival time slot. Once guests
arrive at the Aquarium during their selected arrival time, they will be quickly check-in
by Guest Services staff. And, guests are not limited to a specific length of stay for their
visit
“Time Ticket” prices start from $29.98 for Adults, $19.98 for Youths and Seniors, and
$9.98 for Children (Ages 3-5). Children ages 2 and under receive complimentary
admission when accompanied by an adult.
For more information, visit www.ripleysaquariumofcanada.com.
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About Ripley Entertainment
For over 90 years Ripley Entertainment has been a world leader in family fun. Built on
a foundation of a tiny daily newspaper cartoon which debuted in 1918, the company
now appeals to families and people of all ages with entertainment attractions around
the world. The company also has a long successful history in book publishing, product
licensing, radio and television. Part of the Jim Pattison Group, Canada’s third largest
privately owned company, Ripley’s is proud to be the largest and fastest growing chain
of amusement attraction companies in the world.