# HONG KONG | Ocean Park Development News



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Lessons for HK park in killer whale horror*
28 February 2010
South China Morning Post

So long as wild animals are kept in captivity, humans will debate whether the educational, research and commercial value justifies removing them from their natural environment to confined spaces. Death and disease among captive animals stirs the discussion. When they kill one of their captors, it comes to the boil.

The horrific killing of a trainer by a killer whale at a Florida marine theme park is a case in point. There is much controversy over the park's decision to keep Tilikum, the six-metre killer whale that seized trainer Dawn Brancheau while she was feeding him from a poolside platform and thrashed her to death under water. It has ruled out calls from the Humane Society and animal rights activists that he be released into a controlled area of ocean to exercise properly and relieve the stress of captivity - which has likely deprived him of the ability to survive in the wild - or even that he be destroyed. Instead, SeaWorld will tighten its safety regime so the animal can remain part of its breeding programme and a companion to seven others.

The conflict resonates in Hong Kong, where Ocean Park's HK$5.5 billion redevelopment includes the introduction of many more species. Not long ago there was concern among conservationists after a giant panda attacked and injured a trainer and another trainer was bitten by a sea lion. Experts also said death rates for cetaceans such as killer whales, dolphins and porpoises were high compared with parks in the US and Europe, although Ocean Park said they were no worse than in the wild. The attacks were, thankfully, minor and there was no suggestion of a systemic problem. Wild animals in captivity can behave unpredictably. The park's redevelopment has led to many improvements that should enhance safety and the care of its animals.

That said, the Florida tragedy is a reminder of the dangers to man and animals alike of keeping them in artificial environments. For the sake of public confidence in a successful tourist and educational attraction, Ocean Park and the government should consider calls by critics for independent oversight of its treatment of animals, and to be transparent about animal deaths and the causes.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park eyes deal to import dolphins*
17 April 2010
South China Morning Post

In a move that is angering conservationists, Ocean Park will fund research by the government of the Solomon Islands into dolphin numbers as part of an arrangement that may lead to up to 30 bottlenose dolphins being imported to the theme park.

Representatives from Ocean Park have been in talks with the government of the country, east of Papua New Guinea, to pay for a survey seen as critical to allowing the controversial trade in dolphins to continue.

In return, the theme park is expected to get an option to buy dolphins to bring to Hong Kong.

A Solomon Islands government adviser told the South China Morning Post yesterday the representatives met two government ministers and are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding under which "between 24 and 30" dolphins would be sent to Hong Kong.

Ocean Park chairman Allan Zeman insisted last night the talks were at a "very preliminary stage" and no dolphins would be imported to Hong Kong unless it was clear that the marine mammals' population in the Solomon Islands was not at risk.

"If the dolphins there are not sustainable, we would go somewhere else," he said. "There are a lot of dolphins around, of different species."

Zeman said no decision had been taken as to how many dolphins Ocean Park should import. The park currently has 16.

The theme park keeps a stock of bottlenose dolphins for performances as well as interactive programmes that allow limited touching of the animals by visitors.

The park used to buy fresh stocks of dolphins as needed. The last time it did so is believed to have been in 1998, when some were bought from Indonesia.

In 2001, it became the world's first aquarium to breed the dolphins by artificial insemination, and more than half its present stock came from captive-breeding programmes and artificial insemination, thus reducing the need for capture in the wild.

To improve genetic diversity and avoid inbreeding that might result in genetic weaknesses in the marine mammals, the park has also exchanged dolphin semen with overseas aquariums.

A spokeswoman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said it had not received any applications from Ocean Park for dolphin imports.

As dolphins are a listed species under the protection of endangered-species provisions in the Animals and Plants Ordinance, imports require both an export permit issued by the country of origin and a licence issued by the department in advance.

Any arrangement with the Solomon Islands is likely to stir controversy, with some conservationists claiming the country's dolphin stocks may not be sustainable and arguing that all dolphin exports from it should be halted.

Dr Suzanne Gendron and Grant Abel from Ocean Park visited the country late last month.

Dr Baddley Anita, an adviser to the minister of fisheries in the Solomon Islands, said the pair met the fisheries and environment ministers.

Ocean Park had agreed to fund an "abundance survey" of dolphins - which Anita described as a way of getting overseas parties interested in importing dolphins to give something to the Solomon Islands in return.

"I have heard that Hong Kong wants between 24 and 30 animals to improve their genetic stocks {hellip}" Anita said.

"They are in the stages of having an MOU done between Ocean Park and scientific and management authorities here in the Solomon Islands.

"The Solomon Islands does not have the money to carry out scientific research, so we have asked people who want to import to put their money where their mouth is."

The research would "give us an idea of the dolphin stocks and abundance in this area", he said, pointing out that the sea area around the Solomon Islands was about the size of Europe, with the case study area alone covering 20,000 to 30,000 square kilometres.

Arguing in favour of a continuation of the overseas trade in dolphins, Anita said it would help stop the killing of the animals by dolphin harvesting communities in the Solomon Islands for food and to meet school fees and buy fishing gear.

"You can sell 50 animals and have the quota divided between the dolphin harvesting communities rather than have them kill a total of 2,000 to 3,000 animals a year," he said.

A report last year by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) raised concerns over the dolphin population in the Solomon Islands, which is currently able to sell 50 of the animals a year overseas, and said the trade should be halted pending a detailed survey.

The Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society criticised Ocean Park for funding a government survey that it argued would not be impartial and would seek to continue the lucrative trade in dolphins.

In 2003, 28 live dolphins were sold to Mexico by the island country for HK$585,000 each, according to the IUCN report, which said such exports should be stopped unless the population was properly assessed and shown to be sustainable.

It said that if the international standard, under which only 1-2 per cent of a population of a species should be removed, was applied to the Solomon Islands, the population of bottlenose dolphins would need to be at least 5,000.

"Ocean Park has a population of resident dolphins, and they claim they breed them quite well and maintain the population, so why do they need to capture more wild dolphins?" Dolphin Conservation Society chairman Samuel Hung Ka-yiu said.

"To go to the Solomon Islands is quite controversial. The Solomon Islands have exported dolphins to facilities all over the world, including Dubai, Mexico and Singapore.

"The conclusion of the IUCN report was that the bottlenose population in the Solomon Island wasquite small and that this catch was unsustainable. Basically, it recommended no further catch until a proper population assessment."

Hung said funding research by the Solomon Islands government was just "buying by another name and in a way that makes Ocean Park look good. If Ocean Park wants to fund a study on dolphins, it should be giving the money to independent scientists, not the government of the Solomon Islands. Any report by the Solomon Islands government is bound to come out in a way that is favourable to the government's view."

But Zeman said he did not believe the survey findings would be biased.

"I find it hard to believe they would slant something like that," he said. Ocean Park would accept nothing other than a fair, impartial study.

According to the IUCN report, each dolphin exported earns the Solomon Islands government about US$7,500, or 10 per cent of the selling price, in taxes.

No statistics exist on the current population, but conservation groups say populations of bottlenose dolphins tend to be small, often only in the hundreds, except in areas off the western coast of Australia and the Arabian Gulf.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Animal groups urge HK to reject dolphin imports*
23 April 2010
SCMP

Eight international animal conservation groups are pressing Hong Kong to reject and even confiscate any live dolphin imports from the Solomon Islands for Ocean Park, warning that allowing such imports will damage the city's international reputation.

A petition letter jointly signed by the groups has been written to Alan Wong Chi-kong, director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, which implements international rules of wildlife trade. The letter has been copied to the Chief Executive's Office.

The groups are the Animal Welfare Institute, Cetacean Society, Earth Island Institutes Pacific Islands and US, Humane Society International, Marine Connection, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, World Society for the Protection of Animals, and the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society.

They have also written to the secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) and asked it to reject any export permits issued by the Solomons Islands.

The call comes after it was disclosed last week that Ocean Park was assisting the Solomon Islands in assessing the population of bottlenose dolphins and in return might be given an option to source dolphins from the islands.

Some dolphin conservationists said park employees had been to the Solomons and were involved in dolphin capture operations, a claim denied by the park.

The groups are stepping up pressure, lobbying against any capture and import of the bottlenose dolphin. Cites says dolphin trade must come with an official export permit issued by the country of origin.

The groups said Hong Kong should learn from the experience of Mexico, where a senior congressman had expressed regret over the imports of 28 dolphins from the Solomons in 2003 for an aquarium in Cancun. Twelve of them have died.

"Given Hong Kong's ongoing commitment to Cites, any failure to intervene in this case may damage its reputation internationally and raise serious concerns over its implementation of the convention," the groups said in the letter.

Apart from an export permit, there should also be proof of a "non-detriment finding" showing the capture will not harm the survival of the species. But such proof is still absent so far, the groups say.

"If any attempt is made to import Solomon Islands dolphins to Hong Kong we trust you will review the documentation provided and consider this evidence with regard to Hong Kong's Cites obligations ... If the dolphins arrive in Hong Kong, we ask that you, in co-operation with appropriate law enforcement authorities, confiscate the animals and return them to the Solomon Islands because it has failed to comply with Cites," the groups said.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said it noted the groups' concern. It would follow the rules of Cites, but had so far not received an import application.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Park entrance to close *
19 April 2010
South China Morning Post

Ocean Park will soon have only one entrance when it closes the Tai Shue Wan entrance, which is little used.

Chief executive Tom Mehrmann was coy about the future of the Tai Shue Wan entrance but said it might house a new attraction or only be used for special events, such as the annual Halloween festivities. Between 5 per cent and 20 per cent of visitors use the entrance, he said.

About 4.8 million people visited Ocean Park in the year to June 30, 2009. The park expects 5.8 million visitors by 2012-13.

It is vastly expanding its main entrance as part of an ambitious HK$5.5 billion redevelopment plan that will more than double the number of attractions to about 70 by 2012.

So far, a new Amazing Asian Animals exhibit has opened, and a tunnel train system, Ocean Express, has started shuttling visitors between the park's lowland and headland areas.

Mehrmann said the new main entrance would be more than capable of handling the visitor flow.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park backs down on dolphin study 
Charity fund will not pay for research*
10 May 2010
South China Morning Post

After objections from conservationists and scientists, Ocean Park has decided not to use its charitable foundation to fund a Solomons Islands study that could lead to wild dolphins being imported into Hong Kong.

It will directly fund the US$100,000 study - on whether the dolphin population in the Pacific country is sufficient to allow for exports - rather than through its Ocean Park Conservation Foundation (OPCF).

The study, expected to begin before the end of the year, will take two to three years, and the park promised not to consider imports of wild dolphin pending results of the study.

The decision followed fierce criticism from conservationists and scientists, including former OPCF co-director Dr Thomas Jefferson, who wrote to Ocean Park executive director Suzanne Gendron to object, describing the use of the foundation as "totally inappropriate and unethical".

Jefferson, co-director of the foundation from 1998 to 2001, said the idea of involving it in the project was "counter to the original aims and goals of the foundation as an organisation dedicated to preserving wild populations of marine mammals".

The idea of funding the study through the OPCF was also criticised by Professor John Wang, a member of the cetacean specialist group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a recipient of OPCF funds.

Wang, who works with Trent University in Canada and the National Museum of Marine Biology in Taiwan and receives funding for several projects a year, said he might not have been able to have any further dealings with the foundation if it was involved in the Solomon Islands study.

"I would have a difficult time being associated with an organisation that funds such work," he said. "The perception that scientists may be getting funding from OPCF for an assessment that may lead to more captures [of dolphins] doesn't look good for any of the scientists who have received funding in the past."

Gendron, the theme park's executive director for zoological operations, told the Post the decision not to fund the project through the OPCF had been under discussion internally and a decision was made "in the past week".

She stressed, however, that even if the foundation had handled the funding, the money would have come directly from Ocean Park Corporation through a "restricted donation" - meaning it would not have affected the funds available or other projects supported by the foundation.

In a letter to Jefferson and other scientists sent on Friday, Gendron said the decision had been taken in part "to avert any misperception that funds donated to the foundation for conservation efforts were somehow used to further Ocean Park's business purposes". In addition, the study would be overseen by an independent scientific advisory group to monitor the research and "provide the necessary oversight by an objective third party", she said.

Responding to the decision, Jefferson said yesterday: "I am pleased to learn the Solomon Islands project will not be paid for with OPCF funds, but I am still concerned about the bottlenose dolphin population in the Solomon Islands. I have expressed my desire to see Ocean Park Corporation do the right thing. By this I mean that, hopefully, a capture operation will not be conducted.

"Many people will be watching to make sure that Ocean Park does not put its business interests above concern for wildlife and sound management of wildlife."

Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society chairman Samuel Hung Ka-yiu said: "Now that Ocean Park Corporation will conduct the study, with an independent scientist, the question of who will conduct the study is a very important issue. Whoever it is should be impartial and his or her research should be credible and under the review of international scientists."

Gendron said no wild dolphin imports would be considered until the study, to take two to three years, was completed.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*HK Ocean Park showcases Chinese Sturgeons*










HONG KONG, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Ocean Park's new attraction -- "Chinese Sturgeon Aquarium -- Yangtze Exploration" opened here Thursday, showcasing Chinese Sturgeons and a series of aquatic wildlife species.

The new spot, a freshwater exhibit converted from the park's existing "Chinese Sturgeon Aquarium", features 10 Chinese Sturgeons and aquatic wildlife species of the Yangtze River including Chinese Sucker, Largemouth Bronze Gudgeon, Chinese Spined Barb and some other ones.

The 10 sturgeons, coming from the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences in Xiamen, Fujian Province, aged from two to 10 years old and measured 0.8 to two meters long. Three of them had been showcased in Hong Kong two years ago.

The park had successively presented a total of 10 Chinese Sturgeons by the mainland in 2008. The species were placed in the "Chinese Sturgeon Aquarium" and was open to the public in August, 2008.

Three sturgeons died later on and the remaining ones were sent to institute in Xiamen. One died from being attacked by other species, while two were suspected to be unable to adapt to the saltwater habitat in the old aquarium.

The park said the Chinese Sturgeons, which have been sent to the new home for more than a month, are at good conditions and should be able to fit the new environment which was specially designed to imitate Yangtze River's habitat.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Park urged to come clean on belugas study*
12 July 2010
The Standard

A conservation society is urging Ocean Park to release findings of a study that could lead to white whales being imported from Russian waters to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society chairman Samuel Hung Ka-yiu cited a source as saying that the study has been concluded.

Hung said, despite repeated requests for the findings, Ocean Park told him the study has not yet been completed or no details are available yet. ``The study findings may be unfavorable to the park, or why is it loath to tell me?'' he said.

The study, Hung said, involves population assessments of white whales, also called belugas, in Russian waters.

Hung said he believes it was carried out to assess the possibility of importing the marine mammals from the area.

Ocean Park said last night no population assessments for belugas outside the White Sea, Russia, Canada and Alaska had been completed by independent scientists. When they were, the results should be available via scientific journals. It was not funding any studies.

The society, along with other conservationists, has pushed the park not to capture more marine creatures, including belugas, from the wild since the park announced plans to import Arctic mammals in 2005.

The park's Polar Adventure feature is due to open in 2012.

The park earlier said there are many other ways to import marine creatures and that capturing them from the wild is always a last alternative. It said that according to its animal acquisition policy, the park is committed to first seeking to acquire animals from other animal facilities through rescue, breeding loans, animal exchanges or purchases. But Hung pointed out that it is hardly possible to acquire white whales from other marine parks.

``Artificial breeding of white whales has so far not been very successful, so the parks breeding them could hardly have a surplus to give other parks,'' he said.

Belugas live in Arctic waters and are unsuitable for breeding in captivity, especially in tropical and sub-tropical areas like Hong Kong, he said.

Hung said beluga whales normally have a life span of 40 to 50 years, while those bred in captivity may only live around 10 to 20 years, partly because they may not be able to adapt well to the environment in oceanariums.

He estimated that more than 30,000 belugas live in Alaskan and Canadian waters but no figure on the number of white whales in Russian waters is available yet.

Green Sense senior project officer Hys Sun Ho-yan expressed worries that a lot of energy will be consumed to keep a low water temperature for Arctic creatures in Ocean Park's oceanarium.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park catering programme gives graduates a new direction*
8 June 2010
South China Morning Post

Graduates of a theme park's catering trainee programme said they used to be clueless about their future, but have found direction from the scheme. They were speaking as the second class of graduates took part in a ceremony yesterday at Ocean Park's Panda Cafe.

The park's food and beverage services trainee programme is a collaboration between the park, the Labour Department's Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, and the Hospitality Industry Training and Development Centre.

Launched two years ago, it invites people aged 15 to 24 to undergo nine months of on-the-job training with the park's food services department.

At yesterday's graduation ceremony, 21 out of the original 25 trainees were present. Among them, nine will work full-time for the park, and the rest will work elsewhere or continue to study. The park spent HK$1.4 million on this term's trainees, and HK$1.3 million on the last batch.

Kit Wan Fung-ling, 20, joined the programme with three years' work experience and completion of Form Five studies. She refused the park's job offer and decided to take a bar-tending course to follow her ultimate ambition of being a barmaid.

"The programme has helped me find my professional bearings because nine months before I was clueless as to where I was going," she said.

Throughout the nine-month programme, the trainees worked for the park's restaurant four days a week and went to school two days a week. They received HK$4,000 a month from the park and HK$2,000 from the Labour Department.


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## juicy couture (Aug 20, 2010)

Hong Kong is a beautiful city, I've always wanted to go to, look at the picture of the scene is beautiful, I quickly unbearable! I will go to see! Thank you!


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Baby hopes as Ying Ying and Le Le turn five*
9 August 2010
South China Morning Post

A new home is being built for Ocean Park's giant pandas Ying Ying and Le Le, and researchers from Hong Kong and the mainland are anticipating the pair, who have just turned five, will mate.

They have held such a hope on the pair's past three birthdays.

The theme park threw a birthday party for the two Sichuan-born pandas yesterday, treating each to an "ice cake" topped with apples, carrots and bamboo shoots.

The pandas were given to Hong Kong three years ago to mark the 10th anniversary of the handover.

Le Le, the male, wolfed down some fruit before toppling an ice statue and pushing the presents away, while Ying Ying ate a few apples before wandering away.

Turning five means they are now ready to take up the solitary lifestyle natural to the species and, more importantly, to breed, park chairman Allan Zeman said.

"I wish I could tell you that they were having a baby," he said yesterday.

"We stay in contact with researchers from Wolong in Sichuan on a daily basis about the possibility. We're doing what we can to prepare for Ying Ying to deliver."

A year ago, Zhang Xiwu, director general of the Department of Wildlife Conservation and Nature Reserve Management under the mainland's State Forestry Administration, said they were "eagerly anticipating the arrival of the baby of Ying Ying and Le Le".

Female pandas normally become sexually mature at 41/2, with the male following about one year later. Now that they have turned five, there is only a very narrow window when Ying Ying is on heat and Le Le is at least half a year from being sexually active.

The park's chief executive, Tom Mehrmann, said in April that artificial insemination appeared likely.

He said experts from Ocean Park and the Wolong giant panda research facility were exploring the possibility of artificially inseminating Ying Ying with semen from a suitable male.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park holds wild card on belugas *
6 September 2010
The Standard

Ocean Park revealed yesterday it is funding an assessment of the beluga whale population that conservationists say may lead to imports of the marine mammal from Russian waters.

The research, being conducted in the Okhotsk Sea near Russia, began in 2007.

The news came as the park announced that Polar Adventure _ a new facility to showcase penguins, walruses, seals and belugas _ is slated to open in mid-2012.

United States-based Naomi Rose, a senior scientist for Humane Society International, a worldwide animal-protection group, said she fears the park may decide to capture belugas based on the findings of the study.

Rose said it should take years for the study to produce the data needed to properly fulfill the requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

The general animal acquisition policy of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, to which the Ocean Park belongs, states that marine parks should first try for a transfer between facilities and that conducting a responsible capture from the wild is always the last resort.

However, she said, there are hardly any surplus belugas in aquariums worldwide, with the exception of Marineland, a theme park in Canada.

But Rose believes the Niagara Falls park will probably not give away any of its wild belugas brought in from Russia, although it might sell a couple of those born in captivity.

``My guess is [Ocean Park officials] are going to acquire them from Russia, and if they sponsor this research ... it would take five years minimum, more like 10, before they would have sufficient information to determine any kind of safe removal level,'' she said. ``They are not going to wait five to 10 years. They are going to do a couple of years of research and say: `Oh, we know now' and this is how many that would be safe.''

Ocean Park said the beluga research it has been funding is conducted by a Russian expert, and is monitored by an independent third-party observer _ GREMM Institute of Canada _ to ensure scientific rigor of the process and results.

But Rose said one of the main difficulties of studying belugas is that ``they live in cold water, in remote areas that are difficult for researchers to reach, and they are not very easily observed or identified in the field.''


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Dining with fish to net dollars for park*
The Standard
Monday, September 20, 2010

An underwater restaurant at Ocean Park is expected to hook the public and help boost food sales by 50 percent.

Neptune's will be among several new food and beverage outlets when one of the world's largest aquariums opens at the end of the year.

Grand Aquarium is the flagship attraction of Aqua City, under the HK$5.5 billion master redevelopment plan unveiled four years ago. 

Joseph Leung Kai-shing, the park's executive director of revenue, said Neptune's "will be an experience like no other in Asia for guests to dine beside such a giant tank with more than 400 fish species."

Leung expects the 250-seat restaurant to produce significant revenue for the park as it targets high-spending customers with deluxe Japanese cuisine using sustainable seafood.

Staff strength has been increased from 30 in 2005 to 183 to keep pace with rapid expansion.

Stephen Chow Wai-ming, operations manager for food and beverage, said with the opening of Neptune's and the Lagoon kiosk in the 20,000 square-meter Aqua City, there will be 29 kiosks and six restaurants by the end of the year.

Expansion is expected to be completed within two years with the number of large entertainment activities doubling to about 70. 

Upcoming projects include the Rain Forest, Thrill Mountain and Polar Adventure.

Meanwhile, Leung said the number of retail souvenir stores will increase from the existing 14 to 24, offering a selection of more than 10,000 marine-themed souvenir items.

Marine conservation remains the key message the theme park is seeking to spread through merchandise. 

"To educate our guests, we are attaching more interesting messages to our souvenirs," Leung said. 

The 33-year-old park attracted more than five million visitors based on annual attendance in 2008, ranking it 15th in the world, according to a report by the Themed Entertainment Association.

Expansion of the attraction is going hand in hand with the construction of three high-end Ocean Park hotels, which are due for completion from 2013 to 2015.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Park's polar exhibition will have important educational role*
13 September 2010
South China Morning Post

I refer to the letter by Suzanne Miao ("Taxpayers' money misused", September 8), expressing concern that taxpayers' money might have been used for beluga research, animal acquisition or the construction of the Polar Adventure at Ocean Park.

Since the funding of the HK$5.5 billion is all in loans, it will be paid back in full by Ocean Park.

In response to Ms Miao's concern on our beluga research and the Polar Adventure exhibit, we believe the exhibit serves an important purpose in providing engaging educational information about the animals at the frozen poles and the conservation issues that challenge the survival of these animals and the fragile places where they live.

Framed in the context of human actions that accelerate climate change and global warming, the Polar Adventure is a timely reminder to empower individual actions that can help the fight against global climate change.

Regarding acquisitions of these unique animals for the Polar Adventure, it is the park's commitment to first seek to acquire them from other facilities through rescue, breeding loans, animal exchanges or purchases. Acquisition of animals from the wild is always the last option, and is pursued only when independent scientific research can prove that the removal of a limited number of animals from a population in a particular area is sustainable.

Any acquisition undertaken by Ocean Park, if needed for any of the species mentioned, would also be done in accordance with guidance from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the by-laws of the international zoological associations, to which the park belongs.

The park will comply with the international conventions, agreements and relevant local and overseas legislation when dealing with any animal-related matters.

The park has always and will continue to put the highest priority on safeguarding the welfare of all the animals within its care, while advocating conservation principles for the protection of wildlife and the environment.

We look forward to seeing our animal ambassadors and educational exhibits continuing to inspire action towards supporting the survival of our planet.

Una Lau, public affairs director, Ocean Park Corporation


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Saving a clown fish's sight is a challenge Nimal loves*
29 October 2010
The Standard

Nimal Fernando, a veterinarian at Ocean Park, is a happy man as he works on the creatures he loves most - fish. And he feels especially good when he saves one of them.

Among his challenges, the Australian is currently involved in procedures to try to save a four- centimeter clown fish from going blind in one eye, which could be a matter of life and death.

Fernando has for 20 years been administering not only to small fish but also sharks as well as birds.

``I value the life of every single fish, and I love my job since I can help keep them alive,'' Fernando said. ``You can buy a small fish for just HK$10 in Mong Kok, but to me its life is valuable. I have around 20 fish at home.''

As he prepared to operate on the two-year-old clown fish, Fernando - who began working at Ocean Park six years ago after arriving in Hong Kong three years earlier - talked about his life.

``When I was small my father bought a fish tank and I loved to watch the fish swimming about,'' he recalled. ``I'm particularly in love with the sea and fish. I love to dive and swim too.''

Then he turned to the clown fish, which weighs just 10 grams.

``The right eye of this clown fish is swollen - I need to closely examine it and see what is wrong.'' The small size of the fish, of course, made the surgery difficult.

Fernando put the fish inside an anesthetic machine, which he invented two years ago. He waited for three minutes before moving the now-motionless creature from the narcotic- laced water on to foam sponges.

``Fish should be treated carefully,'' he said, connecting a soft tube into the fish's mouth to supply it with water and sedatives.

He then took a small piece of the tumor from its eye. This would go to the laboratory to examine whether it was benign or malignant.

``We may have to remove the fish's eye or let it die naturally in a worst-case scenario,'' said Fernando, who has conducted more than 100 operations on fish. ``But I wish to keep it alive and save its sight.''


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Healthy training for park animals*
6 November 2010
South China Morning Post

It was Yuet the otter's turn for an ultrasound scan. At the call of the trainer, it swiftly climbed onto the examination table without a fuss, stationed itself in the right position - head through the trap, paws on the knobs, nose touching the target in front (see picture right) - and allowed the trainer to scan its belly.

The creature's co-operation is down to the training these animals at Ocean Park receive to make them more receptive to a range of procedures designed to keep them in good health, from daily grooming to medical check-ups.

"We won't force animals to do tasks, we co-operate with them," said the park's Terrestrial Life Sciences senior curator Howard Chuk Hau-ching. "Training can replace anaesthesia in some medical procedures."

Chuk said imposing care routines on animals can have a negative impact on their health, both physically and mentally, and make it harder for trainers to understand them.

He cited the example of a parrot having a blood test. A trained parrot will lie still and spread its wings for the trainer to draw blood. Performing the test on birds who are untrained requires an anaesthetic, and there is a risk the parrot will not wake up afterwards. Only two out of the 80 or so parrots in the park are trained to deal with blood tests, Chuk said.

Trained animals have body check-ups on a monthly or even weekly basis, as opposed to those requiring an anaesthetic, which can only be administered once a year. The extra monitoring enables trainers to collect data and build a greater understanding of the animals.

The park's red pandas, which arrived last year, are capable of voluntarily allowing trainers to brush their fur and feel their muscles in a simple health check. They can also get on a weighing scale by themselves as part of their daily routine.

"Animals can get hurt when we have to catch them. They may feel pressured when we forcefully perform procedures on them. Some may even lose their appetite. Husbandry training can avoid all these adverse effects," said Chuk.

Zoo operations and education general curator Grant Abel said: "We focus on developing a relationship of trust between the trainer and the animal, instead of controlling them with food or punishment. We want animals to be involved in the process and enjoy it." The park began such training with dolphins and sea lions in the early 1990s.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park safety call after accident *
7 December 2010
The Standard

Ocean Park has been told to review safety measures in the wake of an accident that left seven visitors injured.

Passengers on an uphill train at the park's funicular railway were thrown to the floor on Sunday after the carriage coming down suddenly braked.

The driver, who mistakenly flicked the brake switch, was suspended from duty and the Ocean Express service remained closed yesterday.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan said: ``We have asked Ocean Park to ensure that such incidents never happen again and review what safety measures should be strengthened.''

Lau said the attraction needs to look at whether more handrails should be added to improve passenger safety. The government is highly concerned about the incident and will ``definitely follow it up.''

As to whether it will deal a blow to the tourism industry, Lau said she believes it is an isolated accident and, from investigations so far, no mechanical or design faults were found in the system.

``I sincerely hope that every visitor and citizen is satisfied with Ocean Park services and facilities. We will strengthen our work on all fronts.''

Of the seven injured, aged from 25 to 71, a couple were last night still being treated at Queen Mary Hospital.

The condition of a 70-year-old man surnamed Lee, who was critically injured, was upgraded to serious. His wife, 67, surnamed Chow, remained in stable condition.

Train services will remain suspended until a cover is installed to prevent drivers from mistakenly turning the brake switches.

As for compensation for victims, Ocean Park has referred the matter to an insurance company.


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## caelus (Jan 21, 2009)

Taken by dawvon


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## caelus (Jan 21, 2009)

Taken by dawvon


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park fish set for aquarium move*
3 January 2011
SCMP



















Ocean Park is moving the inhabitants of its Atoll Reef to the new Grand Aquarium over the next few weeks, but not all of the marine life will stay in the park after the relocation.

More than 2,000 marine animals will be transported down the hill to the new Aqua City facility on the park's waterfront, which is due to open at the end of the month.

However, the resident giant trevally would not be on show after the temporary closure of Atoll Reef for renovation yesterday, said the park's curator of aquariums, David Lai Yiu-nam. He explained that since it is a bigger, more aggressive fish, it could pose a danger to other species in the new aquarium. "We may consider exchanging it for other fish with another aquarium," he said.

Staff were also considering whether to keep green sea turtles in the new aquarium, because they may eat the artificial reef.

While some are leaving, around 150 new species, including bluefin tuna and a manta ray, will be joining.

"The manta ray is the largest ray species in the world. We are introducing a young one to our park, but it can grow up to five to six metres long," Lai said.

The 250 species of fish and the water in the old aquarium will be transported to the new one using fish bags, special containers and cranes.

"It's a very challenging operation... Some of the small fish will have to be partially anaesthetised," Lai said.

After the renovation of Atoll Reef, which opened in 1977, the park will have two major aquariums.

The Grand Aquarium, which will hold more than 5,000 fish of more than 400 species, will open on January 27. "We expect a 15 per cent increase in visitors after the opening," the park's chief executive, Tom Mehrmann, said.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park trumps Disneyland *
25 January 2011
South China Morning Post

Ocean Park has claimed victory over rival Hong Kong Disneyland in terms of attendance figures and earnings.

The Aberdeen-based theme park welcomed a record 5.4 million visitors last year, beating Disneyland's 5.2 million, its chairman Allan Zeman said.

Zeman also said it was hopeful that net surplus for this financial year could hit the HK$100 million mark, from HK$82 million in the 2009-10 financial year. This contrasted sharply with Disneyland's report of a net loss of HK$720 million for its last fiscal year, ended October 2.

A new aquarium is set to open on Thursday, among a series of attractions Ocean Park will offer under a HK$5.5 billion facelift announced in 2005 to boost competitiveness, as the city's Disneyland opened its doors that year. Both theme parks are keen to take advantage of the rise in mainland arrivals as wealth generated in the world's fastest-growing major economy spurs outbound tourism.

This month, Ocean Park unveiled a plan to sell milk powder, a favourite commodity among mainland tourists because of the low quality of baby formula sold back home. The idea was dropped upon criticism that it would go against the park's education and conservation role. Zeman yesterday said the impact might have been overstated because the plan was only to sell milk powder at one store, and it would be only one of many products on display.

Ocean Park chief executive Tom Mehrmann said its real competitor was not HK Disneyland, but in Zhuhai , referring to reports that a 20 billion yuan (HK$23.7 billion) mega theme park cum resort was coming up on the island of Hengqin . That theme park was estimated to draw 20 million visitors a year.

Visitor numbers at Hong Kong Disneyland have fallen short of the government's estimates, made in 1999. Managing director Andrew Kam Min-ho told a Legislative Council panel the Lantau-based theme park was hopeful of turning a profit after its expansion project was completed in about three years.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Aqua City deaths make splash*
27 January 2011
The Standard
































































Aqua City, part of the HK$5.55 billion expansion plan of Ocean Park that took five years to build, was inaugurated in a grand ceremony last night.

Its egg-shaped Grand Aquarium, one of the world's largest tanks, has about 5,000 fish representing 400 species and covers an area twice the size of the original display.

However, the attraction will open today amid accusations by conservationists that a lot of its newly acquired fish have died.

Many hammerhead sharks and Pacific bluefin tuna, described by the park as ``new animal ambassadors'' to greet guests over the Lunar New Year, died before the aquarium opened owing to mistreatment, an Ocean Park source revealed.

Green Sense and Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society quoted the source as saying that the park imported 40 hammerhead sharks from Japan but more than two-thirds died after they were crowded in a quarantine pool.

And 10 of the 80 bluefin tuna, also imported from Japan, died after being placed in a pool with a water filtration system and quality control system that were not yet ready.

``The park ignored the well-being of the animals and concealed the death toll from the public,'' dolphin conservation group chairman Samuel Hung Ka- yiu said.

Some bluefin tuna died several weeks ago due to ``inadaptability in the new pool,'' a park spokeswoman said, quoting autopsy reports.

Both species imported for the park are not on the endangered list and were acquired in ``rescue operations'' in Japan.

Chairman Allan Zeman said:``It wasn't because of mistreatment. It's not because of the way they were brought in. We have the highest standard.

``It's like human beings. Some people die and babies are born every second...We have many, many fish born in Ocean Park.''

Management expect the opening to help boost visitor numbers by 15 percent this year.

A nighttime water and fire special effects extravaganza, Symbio is featured in the The Lagoon, with colorful dragons dancing on the world's only 360-degree water screen.

There are also more than 1,600 square meters of retail space and three new food outlets in the flagship theme zone. But a new plan to sell milk powder to tourists, mainly from the mainland, was shelved following public controversy.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park Offers Brand New Retail and Dining Options to Complement Opening of Aqua City 15,000 Sq-ft Themed Retail Space, Exclusive Merchandise Collections and Aquarium-side Dining Complete New Ocean Park Experience*
13-01-2011
Press Release

(Hong Kong – 13 January 2011) Ocean Park today unveiled a series of brand new retail and dining offerings specially launched to complement the widely-anticipated 27 January opening of its new flagship theme zone Aqua City. Guests can choose from over 20,000 merchandise items, in the comfort of 15,000 square feet of shopper-friendly, themed retail environment. To appeal to wider customer segments, Ocean Park has developed new exclusive product lines, including jewellery and items bearing conservation messages, and created with Chocolate Rain a unique collection available only at Ocean Park. Aqua City will also feature Ocean Park’s first personal health and beauty store to meet guests’ needs. Catering for the diverse dining needs and tastes of guests, Aqua City will have three distinctive outlets, including Hong Kong’s first and only fine dining location within an aquarium. With the opening of Aqua City, a day at Ocean Park promises to offer fresh experiences in all aspects of theme park enjoyment.

Integral to the iconic and whimsical design of Aqua City are two buildings positioned like a pair of stretched arms to greet all guests when they enter and leave the Park. On one side is the East Retail Building, home to four shopping outlets including Waterfront Gifts (apparels and accessories), Celebrity Store (decorative gifts , hard goods, plush toys and kids’ corner), Ocean’s Charms (jewellery) and Aqua City Crafts (premium gifts). The seven product categories are presented in distinctive theme zones that guests can conveniently traverse without leaving the building.

The West Retail Building, on the other side of the main entrance, houses two unique retail outlets. Ocean Potions is Ocean Park’s very first personal health and beauty product store, offering guests a variety of products for their daily needs. For guests who want to create beautiful images of their wonderful time at the Park, there is Shutters, Ocean Park’s first dedicated photography studio.

Shirley Louie, Senior Retail Manager of Ocean Park, said, “Ocean Park has greatly expanded its retail offerings to satisfy the diverse needs and tastes of our guests. For instance, we have introduced a line of premium goods that ranges from neckties, home decorations to jewellery accessories. There are also beautiful new items for weddings, baby showers and more. To further enhance product variety and enable guests from the Mainland to shop for daily necessities, we have created our first-ever personal health and beauty store. Guests visiting the new flagship theme zone Aqua City will not only come away with wonderful memories, they will also be able to take home fantastic new gifts and souvenirs for themselves or for families and friends.”

Education and conservation are two important elements of Ocean Park. The Park therefore also offers retail items like games, books and puzzles that nurture the mind, and donates a percentage of proceeds from panda related products to Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong, to support panda habitat rebuilding efforts and conservation.

As Hong Kong’s People’s Park, Ocean Park has always been supportive of local creative talents. On the occasion of the opening of Aqua City, Ocean Park is unveiling a new collection of products developed in collaboration of Chocolate Rain, the internationally renowned homegrown design brand, whose works have been exhibited at some of the most prestigious museums in Europe and the United States. Exclusively available at Aqua City, this new collection includes tote bags, coin purses, key holders and tee shirts.

Prudence Mak, one of the founders and designers of Chocolate Rain, said, “We are thrilled to work with Ocean Park as Chocolate Rain is inspired by childhood dreams and wonderland adventure, two themes that the people of Hong Kong have been associating with Ocean Park. The collaboration will not only increase our brand exposure to the millions of tourists that visit Ocean Park, it will also encourage local design talents in their creative work.”

The opening of Aqua City will also mark a new chapter in culinary experience at Ocean Park as the new Grand Aquarium will feature the 210-seat Neptune’s Restaurant, Hong Kong’s first and only aquarium exhibit-side restaurant. Guests will be able to savour the finest gastronomic offerings while enjoying panoramic views of a majestic underwater world. Among the Chinese, Japanese and Western delectable items on the menu are a series of Healthy Stone Cook items such as Australian Wagyu Sirloin, Kagoshima Pork Loin and New Zealand Lamb Rack, as well as Japanese Bento Boxes. To support and promote the conservation of endangered marine species, Ocean Park not only made available a number of sustainable seafood dishes as menu options for diners, items red-listed in WWF’s sustainable seafood guide have also been removed from all menus.

Aqua City will also feature Ocean Park’s first-ever bakery. Aqua City Bakery, located at the West Retail Building, offers guests a relaxing moment of rest and reflection during a day of festive fun to enjoy a wide variety of homemade baked goods, such as cookies and quiches, as well as Hong Kong’s world-famous egg tart and sago pudding. Visitors to Hong Kong thus will not have to leave Ocean Park in order to sample truly authentic local foods. Those who take delight in alfresco dining would be glad to know that they can take in spectacular fountain shows while seated under the marquee of the Lagoon Lakeside Snacks Kiosk.

Stephen Chow, Food & Beverage Operations Manager of Ocean Park, said, “The opening of Neptune’s Restaurant marks a new chapter in the culinary landscape of Hong Kong as guests will certainly be carried away by the stunning view of our underwater marine world, just as the launch of Aqua City will take marine-based theme park experiences to new heights. Local guests and overseas visitors celebrating special occasions will soon have one more great reason to visit Ocean Park!”


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Bumper catch of tourists at Aqua City opening *
28 January 2011
The Standard

Lions, celebrities and thousands of excited tourists were on hand to celebrate the opening of Aqua City.

The latest Ocean Park attraction features a massive three-story aquarium containing rare fish such as Pacific bluefin tuna and the endangered Napoleon fish.

The dome-shaped viewing area is the largest in the world, with a 5.5-meter high and 13m wide viewing panel.

Ocean Park chairman Allan Zeman, along with Cantopop stars Gigi Leung Wing-kei and Leo Ku Kui-kei, welcomed the first family to enter the park.

That honor went to Annie Sidley and her family, who had been at the gates since 8.30am. Sidley was accompanied by her three-year-old daughter Maia, as well as her parents.

But following Wednesday's revelation that some hammerhead sharks and Pacific bluefin tuna have died, environmental activists Green Sense tried to stage a protest at the main gates.

But, within minutes, they were told to leave by police.

As guests filed in to view the more than 5,000 fish in the main tank, it seemed like environmental issues were the last thing on their minds.

``It's very natural-looking and impressive,'' said Surinder Sethi, a tourist from India. ``I especially like the manta ray because it is very rare that you get to see such a fine specimen up close.''


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Watch fish swim by as you snack on seafood*
27 January 2011
South China Morning Post

It's the newest attraction at Ocean Park - sit watching fish and then point out to the waiter what you'd like for your seafood dinner.

Don't worry, says chief executive Tom Mehrmann, green groups helped design the menu of Neptune's Restaurant - where marine life circles the diners behind a 13-metre-wide viewing panel - and the food comes from sustainable species (not the aquarium).

Park chairman Allan Zeman is proud of the restaurant, part of its new Aqua City zone. "It's the first one in the world that I see. You can watch the fish while dining. You don't have to go deep sea diving."

The Grand Aquarium, one of the highlights of the new Aqua City zone that was officially launched yesterday, features milk fish manta rays and endangered species such as scalloped hammerhead sharks and bluefin tuna. They are among the 5,000 fish of more than 400 species in the aquarium containing 5.2 million litres of water.

The park admits 10 of the 80 endangered bluefin tuna died en route from Japan. The Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society accuses the park of lacking in transparency in revealing information about the deaths of some animals.

Society chairman Dr Samuel Hung Ka-yiu, who said he was quoting a park employee, said more than 10 of 40 hammerhead sharks had died too due to overcrowding in a quarantine pool.

But Una Lau, the park's public affairs director, said only just over 10 hammerhead sharks were imported.

Zeman, who denied that hammerhead sharks had died, said the deaths of the bluefin tuna were natural. "It's quite normal {hellip} people die and babies are born every day," he said. "Fish die and are born.

"The aquarium in Japan told us the tuna we got, which were caught by a reputable fisherman, were meant to be sushi. We actually saved them as they would have wound up being sushi in a restaurant."

Hung said importing such fish created demand and led to unnecessary catching of the gravely endangered species. "Why couldn't they import other species of tuna which are not endangered. The public can't differentiate between the species. The park is no longer the Ocean Park we knew from childhood.

"Driven by a business mentality, they aim for the rarest species for gimmicky effect. Bluefin tuna swim very fast and long distances. They can only make circles inside the aquarium. Their policy on animal acquisition, which states that acquisition of animals from the wild is pursued only if the wild population is sustainable, is a joke."

Zeman said green groups always protested at the opening of aquariums. "It's a good time to protest. It's good that green groups keep us on our toes, but we can't always do what they want. Some animal conservationists say we should not have animals in captivity {hellip} [Ocean] pollution is serious [in Hong Kong]. People need to know about conservation. Criticising us is always easy {hellip} if we are just about rides, we will just be Disney."

The aquarium is double the size of the old one named Atoll Reef, which was closed last month for renovation and will house sharks in future.

At the entrance to the aquarium is a man-made blowhole, where ocean waves are simulated, and a touch pool containing starfish. An artificial lagoon in front of the aquarium is another highlight, where a show featuring pyrotechnics, water jets and laser lights will be put on every night.

Zeman points out another benefit of the new aquarium.

"People can get married in the tank if they have diving licence."

It's not just the acquisition of hammerheads and bluefin tuna for Aqua City that greens are criticising. They don't like the park bringing in beluga whales for Polar Adventure, an attraction to open next year.

Hung said: "Due to the big demand for the whales from the mainland, there are fewer numbers of the species in Russian waters. Russia doesn't know much about conservation. You can buy a permit for acquisition easily. The park is soon to be open, but they have yet to make public the research findings."

The theme park earlier confirmed it had been funding Russian research on beluga whales in the Okhotsk Sea since 2007.

Sun Ho-yan, senior project officer with Green Sense, accused the park of causing more global warming by building a simulated polar area that will consume a lot of power to maintain the freezing conditions required.

Zeman said he expected a 15 per cent increase in visitor numbers once the new attraction opened. "The Rainforest will open in May. This is a big year for Ocean Park."


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park's polar exhibit will contribute to global warming*
1 February 2011
South China Morning Post

Recently, there has been a massive promotion campaign by Ocean Park for its new aquarium, Aqua City.

The park has also talked about increasing its shopping areas, which will be suitable for mainland visitors. These zones clearly have no educational or conservation purposes.

In expanding these zones, the management at the park seems to have forgotten that it is supposed to be about education. It is important to go behind the facade and recognise some inconvenient truths.

It is now preparing for another attraction, the Polar Adventure, and will import many polar species. These animals are either purchased from various zoos or will be captured in the wild.

Take penguins and beluga whales for example. Being kept in zoos or aquariums has nothing to do with conservation of the species. It actually decreases their sustainability because their numbers are decreasing in the wild and so there is less chance of reproduction. Worse still, given the fact that Hong Kong is sub-tropical, the artificial polar habitat will require a huge amount of energy in order to simulate the cold environment.

The carbon dioxide emitted through the generation of so much electricity will aggravate global warming, destroying the wild habitat of all polar species. It seems ironic this is the case when presumably there is an educational purpose to the polar exhibition. Putting wild animals into an enclosed artificial habitat does not amount to conservation. In fact, it is a form of imprisonment.

Conservation requires the protection of the species' natural habitat and the improvement of their living environment. The best form of conservation involves observing them but leaving them alone. There should be no human disturbance.

When these animals are transported, the journey can range from a few days to a couple of weeks. Many of them die during or immediately after the transportation process. One of the species of blue-fin tuna was imported to Aqua City. During transportation, 10 died.

According to the Ocean Park Corporation Ordinance (Cap 388), it is a recreational and educational public park. It should recognise the importance of corporate social responsibility and avoid ecological damage and harming wildlife that is under threat. It should not regard threatened animals as good for an eye-catching advert, nor should it sacrifice the well-being of animals so they can become a tourist attraction.

The park rarely reveals how many newly imported animals have died. The conservation message it sends is confusing to the public. It blurs the line between environmental education and animal entertainment. Wildlife should not be owned like property by anybody. All lives, whether they be humans or animals, should be respected.

The next time people visit zoos or aquariums, they should ask themselves what these animals have done that they have to endure life imprisonment.

Roy Tam Hoi-pong, president, Green Sense


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Aqua City Commercial 
Source : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tWG53_IYaA


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Penguin in park first takes media plunge*
The Standard
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Ichiko, the first penguin to be born at Ocean Park, stepped confidently into the media spotlight yesterday.

The Gentoo penguin entered the world just in time to welcome 2011 thanks to the efforts of parents Nobita and Shizuka, who were recruited from Japan.

Ichiko, which means "first" in Japanese, was born late on December 31. However its sex is still undetermined, as DNA testing can only be carried out after a year.

Senior curator Howard Chuk Hau-chung said the two- month-old chick has been gradually exploring its enclosure under the watchful eyes of its proud parents.

"We are very pleased that Ichiko is being raised by its parents, as sometimes penguins tend to either lose interest in their offspring, or not know how to raise them," Chuk said.

Gentoo chicks generally leave the nest after about four months, and can grow up to 90 centimeters, making them the third largest species of penguins.

Chuk said another two penguins have since hatched, although one died shortly after birth.

In the wild, penguins have only a 50 percent chance of surviving infancy.

The other chick is being hand- raised as it was abandoned at birth. It is still in the nesting stage and will be introduced to the other penguins in the next few months.

Members of the public wanting to see the chicks will have to wait, since they will not be unveiled until next year as part of the Polar Adventure zone - along with two other species, the King penguin and the Rockhopper penguin.

Ocean Park chairman Allan Zeman said the park hopes to double the penguin population before showing them to the public.

It currently has three species totaling 69 penguins.

Zeman described ticket sell-outs over Lunar New Year as encouraging, with 330,000 visitors since February 4.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ticket tap turned off in Aqua rush*
The Standard
Monday, February 07, 2011

Ocean Park's admission tickets were sold out early yesterday for a second consecutive day in a vote of confidence for its latest attraction, Aqua City.

The crowd was so solid that people had to wait for up to 90 minutes for cable cars, for about an hour outside Aqua City, and for some 30 to 40 minutes for mechanical rides, a spokeswoman noted.

Ticket counters at the Citybus terminal near Admiralty MTR shut at 10am yesterday while the entire same-day admission ticket sales system was closed at 11am - 90 minutes after opening.

"The decision was made according to our normal practice," the spokeswoman said. "That is, we close the ticket counters when the in-park attendance reaches 32,000 - or 90 percent of the maximum in-park capacity 36,000."

That avoids overcrowding and is meant to ensure people already inside the park can enjoy their experiences, she added.

It was a similar story on Saturday, when the ticket facility at the Citybus terminal closed at 11am and all sales stopped at 1pm.

The last time the park closed its ticket counters early was at Lunar New Year 2006.

Attendance levels have increased by at least 15-20 percent since the opening of the giant aquarium complex on January 27.

"The opening of three retail outlets and also Neptune's Restaurant and Aqua City Bakery have also drawn in more visitors," the spokeswoman said.

But the closure of ticket counters does not affect group packages and those who have booked in advance, she noted.

"We anticipate attendance will continue to be high over the next few days," she added. "Visitors who have not booked tickets in advance are advised to check on the park's website for updated news and are also encouraged to select another day to visit Ocean Park."

Attendances on the first three days of the Lunar New Year increased by 30 to 50 percent compared to the corresponding period last year.

The increase also boosted overall retail sales from Thursday to Saturday by 50 percent on last year, while food and beverage sales were up more than 80 percent.


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## shivtim (May 6, 2004)

Construction is almost complete on their new roller coaster, "Hair Raiser."








(Image courtesy of www.screamscape.com)

It will be a sit-down "floorless" coaster with five loops.


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## spicytimothy (Dec 10, 2003)

Been seeing a lotta facebook updates on the new aquarium.. maybe it's more impressive in person


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park treat for 100 millionth visitor*
19 February 2011
South China Morning Post










A trip to Ocean Park as a treat for visiting relatives brought an extra surprise for a Hong Kong family yesterday afternoon. One of them was the 100 millionth visitor to the park since it opened in 1977.

The lucky one was Leung Wai-man, 35, who brought his wife Fok Wing-yi, 26, their two sons Tin-man, three, and Hoi-man, nine months, as well as Leung's cousin, her husband and son from Hangzhou to the park to see the new aquarium.

His family was given a lifetime pass to the park and the children received stuffed toys from staff.

The seven visitors were also treated to a meal at the park's new restaurant in the aquarium and received a pass to the aquarium's behind-the-scenes tour.

Park chairman Allan Zeman described yesterday as a milestone and "a really great day for Ocean Park".

He said inflation was putting pressure on the park, but it had no intention of increasing the admission fee at present, as restaurants and retail outlets were doing well. The last time the park raised its entrance fee was two years ago.

Zeman expected an increase of 10 to 15 per cent in admission numbers this year and the 200 millionth visitor in 15 years. He was confident new rides and expansion of the park would help boost attendance.

Leung, who works in an insurance company, said he was surprised and overwhelmed when he learned of his luck.

"Ocean Park is a part of my childhood, and I like the marine life here very much," he said.

The last time the family went to the park was a year ago.

The park received more than five million visitors last year, and 60 per cent of the visitors were from outside Hong Kong. It is estimated there will be 36 million visitors from the mainland this year and 40 million in 2012.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

By *CSK* from a Hong Kong discussion forum :


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## EricIsHim (Jun 16, 2003)

Another 100 million in 15 years sounds very aggressive, given it took Ocean Park 30+ years to achieve the first 100 million.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Hong Kong rare whales plan riles activists *
14 February 2011
Agence France Presse

Beluga whales are majestic, sociable creatures that live in small pods mostly in the icy waters around the Arctic circle.

They chat loudly with each other in elaborate clicks, clangs and whistles, have a big seemingly friendly smile and are, for a whale, relatively small -- meaning they can be easily kept in a large tank.

And that's exactly what's planned for up to a dozen of the rare mammals at a new attraction at an aquarium in Hong Kong.

"We want to use these iconic animals to deliver a message of conservation and education to our guests," Tom Mehrmann, chief executive of Ocean Park, told AFP.

"And we want to make sure that the pod is large enough for proper social dynamics to take place."

But outraged conservationists say the park's plans have highlighted the issue of aquariums "robbing the world's oceans" of already threatened species just to have a gimmick to sell to the paying public.

Ocean Park says it will try to source already captive belugas from other aquariums around the world but, if they can't find a pod that way, they admit they will look at getting them from the wild.

Yet the beluga, or white whale, is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) "red list" of near endangered species and the US and Canada have effectively banned their capture and export from their waters.

Not so with the other big Arctic power.

"Capture of wild belugas still occurs in Russia, so that would be the likely source for this aquarium," says Brendan Cummings, a lawyer at the US Center for Biological Biodiversity that campaigns for Arctic environmental issues.

"Whales and dolphins have regularly been injured or killed in the act of capturing them, usually with nets. They panic, mothers may get separated from their young, and some may drown.

"So the capture of the animal often results in harm not just to the animal brought into captivity but also other animals in its group.

"Moreover, once in captivity, mortality is often quite high -- belugas have died in even the most modern facilities.

"Given these ice-associated animals will likely decline as global warming transforms the Arctic, we really should not be removing any of them from the wild, even from the healthier populations."

Ocean Park, which is a not for profit organisation owned by the Hong Kong government, has ambitious plans for the aquarium -- largely driven by the increasing number of tourists from mainland China.

The aquarium is making major additions. As well as the new Polar Adventure attraction, which is scheduled to open next year and will be home to the belugas, the park is also opening a new zone in May called The Rainforest.

Over five million people visited the aquarium last year, around 60 percent from mainland China. The park wants to increase the numbers through the gate to eight million by 2017.

"China is helping drive demand for rare marine mammals for aquariums," Dr Samuel Hung, chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, told AFP.

"There are at least 17 mainland aquariums with over 60 beluga whales imported -- so far.

"People do not need to gawp at these beautiful creatures going round and round in a big fish tank to know they're endangered. Robbing the world's oceans of rare species just reduces their numbers further. It makes no sense.

"Russian waters have never been studied sufficiently to really understand beluga numbers. And they don't breed well in captivity, so the chances of Ocean Park getting a pod from another aquarium are very, very slim."

The aquarium was also in hot water recently with local conservationists after it brought dozens of rare Pacific blue fin tuna to the park, around ten of which died on the way from Japan.

It was also criticised for opening an exclusive restaurant with a seafood menu beside a huge glass tank full of 4,000 sea creatures from 400 species -- some of them extremely rare.

"None of the fish in the tank are on the menu," Mehrmann told AFP over the sound of clinking knives and forks of diners as the school of tuna swam behind his head.

"Most of our guests are from big cities and they would never otherwise get the chance to get so close to these animals. We can create a bond between people and the ocean. It's the greatest connection to nature they can possibly get."

Ocean Park insists it has a strict animal acquisition policy which complies with all international regulations and any animals taken from the wild are from sustainable sources.

The park also plans an Asian research institute to study belugas, says Mehrmann, adding that it donates around $1.6 million a year to conservation projects. He admits Russia is "an option" for finding a pod of whales.

"We want to put the spotlight on these animals -- we may have a different approach but we actually have the same objective as campaigners," he said.

"But some people are simply philosophically opposed to aquariums, and always will be. We'll have to agree to disagree on that."

The status of the whole beluga species is cause for concern, according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), as they are threatened across their Arctic range by oil and gas development, over-hunting, vessel traffic, pollution and climate change.

"We are particularly concerned about the proposed import of belugas to Ocean Park," Cathy Williamson, the WDCS' captivity programme manager, told AFP.

"I guess aquariums, as money-making businesses, aim to have something unique that other similar facilities don't have, in order to attract crowds.

"But this only works in conservation terms if the species breeds well in captivity and they are releasing animals back into the wild, something that almost never happens with animals like belugas."


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## EricIsHim (Jun 16, 2003)

I miss the killer whale in Ocean Park, but another one? I ain't sure I will support it.


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## Rachmaninov (Aug 5, 2004)

I really would love to see a killer whale in HK but it would be too cruel...


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

By * LewisLee* from a  Hong Kong discussion forum :


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## DiscoZimpy (Feb 17, 2011)

To help the red pandas adapt to different types of sounds, trainers have tried raising their voices and clapping their hands to check the reaction of the animals.


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## DiscoZimpy (Feb 17, 2011)

Ocean Park chairman Allan Zeman said the park hopes to double the penguin population before showing them to the public.


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## Rachmaninov (Aug 5, 2004)




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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Polar express*
The Standard
Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Hong Kong children don't often get a chance to see a snowy owl, king penguin or Pacific walrus. But when they do, they inevitably fall in love and start worrying about the fate of their new friends. This is the kind of thinking the new education programs rolled out by Ocean Park Academy hope to spark. In July, Polar Adventure, the SAR's first attraction with Arctic and Antarctic animals opened to visitors at the theme park.

Spanning more than 150,000 square feet and housing 100 polar animals, the park's newest attraction bears a mission of raising awareness of the impact of global climate change on polar wildlife and habitats.

The impact of global climate change is becoming increasingly urgent. The National Snow and Ice Data Center, a US research institution, reported last month that the extent of Arctic sea ice shrank to 409,188 square kilometers this summer, from 416,958 sq km in 2007.

The seas in the North Pole region are mostly topped with ice. In the winter, the frozen saltwater surface usually extends about 15.54 million sq km, shrinking in summer and growing back in the fall.

"By itself, it's just a number and occasionally records are going to get set," said NSIDC scientist Walt Meier. "But in the context of what's happened in the last several years and throughout the satellite record, it's an indication that the Arctic sea ice cover is fundamentally changing."

Alex Wong Wai-tung, education manager at Ocean Park Academy, and his colleagues are very pas
sionate about the new program.

They expect to introduce and reinforce the concept of climate change to students. "We design the curriculum so that kids can have fun learning, gaining a deeper understanding of the relationship between humans and nature," Wong said.

The Polar Adventure education programs comprise three parts, catering to children of different age groups.

North Pole Buddies is designed for kindergarten children aged three to five. It focuses on teaching observation skills, such as asking children to describe the special features of polar animals. Also, through simple and lively teaching methods including puzzle games and storytelling, preschool children will gain a basic understanding of nature.

The program, including classroom activities and site visit, costs HK$50 per student.

South Pole Summit is tailor-made for Primary One to Three students aged six to eight. Through this program, students can discover via computer animation how polar birds are influenced by climate change.

The critical part is to teach them practical tips on low-carbon living, such as which kind of lightbulb to choose, and how to use electricity smartly. The program costs HK$60 per student.

Polar Voyage leads Secondary One to Three students, aged 12 to 14, on an exploration to discover how polar animals adapt to harsh conditions.

In group games, these students will assume different roles - such as explorers, researchers, polar residents and resource company management - to exchange ideas on climate change. It helps students prepare for the liberal studies session of the new senior secondary curriculum.

This program costs HK$80 per student. The academy is taking applications now until the end of August next year.

Perry Chiu Bit-sing, a Primary Six pupil from St Joseph's Primary School, said: "I feel sad for these polar animals, which have a smaller and smaller place to live in because the ice is melting. I think human beings should seriously think about the issue.

"We should use less electricity and develop new energy sources, such as wind and solar power instead of exploiting petrol and natural gas."

Applying what he learned from the program, Perry said he would share the knowledge of climate change with his classmates and turn off the air- conditioner when the temperature is below 28 degrees Celsius.

"I wish I could visit the North Pole one day," Perry said. "Think about the Arctic fox, the pure white animal is so amazing. I want to see for myself what its living conditions are like."

Website: opahk.oceanpark.com.hk


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Carbon cuts spell cleaner fun at park*
The Standard
Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Ocean Park hopes to reduce carbon emissions by 10percent in 10 years in a HK$50 million program.

By doing so it aims to become the world's first low-carbon emissions theme park.

It expects the number of visitors to increase to eight million in 2022 from seven million this year.

The target was set with the help of Carbon Care Asia, a green group that helps the park conduct carbon audits to verify effectiveness and progress.

Carbon emissions at the park this year are expected to reach 56,906 tonnes. They are forecast to be less than 51,000 tonnes in 2022.

"As a responsible corporation, Ocean Park is committed to contributing positively to carbon reduction and a low- carbon visiting experience," deputy chief executive Matthias Li Sing-chung said yesterday.

Li said that instead of using carbon-reduction intensity as adopted by most local firms, the park has decided to take a further step by reducing emissions in terms of per capita.

This is to divide annual absolute carbon emissions by total visitors instead of by revenue.

"Using revenue is impractical as the reduction intensity can be easily achieved simply by raising the park's admission fee. We don't want to fool the public, we really want to do something for the environment and for our next generation," Li said.

"We found about 80percent of carbon emissions in the park are related to electricity consumption, mainly to maintain an ideal environment for the creatures who live there," engineering executive director George Tso Chi-keung said.

Measures include a series of upgrades on the life support system for animals including adopting highly efficient water-cooled chillers and refrigerants to reduce energy loss.

The environment will be controlled by computer monitoring of the exchange of water, the inflow of fresh air and water flow rates.

Also, pipes drawing seawater for tanks will be re-routed to shorten the length of the journey, thereby creating a more efficient circulation system.

By adopting solar-powered electric carts for transportation inside the park, energy usage will also be reduced by 40percent.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

05-11-2012
*Ocean Park Sets New Industry Standards in Carbon Management
Energy Consumption Reduction to Produce HK$70 Million in Utility Savings over Next Ten Years*
Highly Energy-efficient Life Support System for Animals and Solar-powered Carts among Measures Being Implemented to Help Reach 10% Absolute Carbon Reduction Target
http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/footer/corporate-information/press/press.php?id=582

Key Excerpts :

Ocean Park thus has developed various carbon reduction measures, including a new, highly energy-efficient LSS currently being built. Mr. George Tso, Ocean Park’s Executive Director of Engineering, explained, “A series of upgrades on the Life Support System for animals in Ocean Park will be implemented in the next 10 years, including switching to highly efficient water-cooled chillers, using low-GWP (Global Warming Potential) refrigerant, as well as strengthening insulation to reduce energy loss. We will also enhance control of our animals’ environment with real-time computer monitoring to adjust the exchange of water, the inflow of fresh air, and water flow rates. These will enable us to provide energy-efficient living environments for our animals. Moreover, we will re-route some pipes to shorten the pipe route to draw seawater, thereby creating a more energy-efficient water circulation system. We have also installed solar panels on 24 staff vehicles used to transport materials within the Park, with the plan to introduce more solar-powered vehicles in the near future. This adoption of solar energy is expected to reduce energy usage by 30%


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

By *陆文龙* from a Chinese photography forum :


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park hopeful of hooking hotel backer*
The Standard
Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Ocean Park is optimistic it will attract greater interest from companies in developing its first hotel this time around after changing tender terms.

The proposed four-star Ocean Hotel is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2016, instead of 2015 as originally planned.

Park officials did not say when the tender for a second facility, the Fisherman's Wharf Hotel at Tai Shue Wan will be floated.

The 495-room Ocean Hotel will be built on a 17,044-square-meter site in front of the main entrance at Aberdeen.

The tender exercise will close on April 8, and the contract with the winning bidder is expected to be signed in the fourth quarter.

All submissions will initially be assessed and rated on their technical merit, with 65percent on design excellence and 35percent on the financial strength and hotel management credentials of the tenderers.

"The first time did not go well because the bids we received were not up to our expectations - both technically and financially," an Ocean Park spokeswoman said.

Under a build-operate-transfer model, the winning bidder will be selected from a short list of companies that have passed the technical proposal assessment and offer the highest land premium. The government has not set a minimum premium.

The tenderer will also have to provide a fixed 1.75 percent of gross receipts to Ocean Park, and will finally hand over the hotel to the park authorities in 2047.

Park chairman Allan Zeman said the new hotel will enhance the position of Southern District as a new base for travelers. "The proposed design of the hotel must be compatible with Ocean Park's mission to provide guests with memorable experiences combining conservation, education and entertainment values, as well as its vision to connect people with nature," Zeman said.

The theme park saw attendance grow to 7.1 million at the end of June, up from 6.4 million the previous fiscal year, ending June 2011. It expects attendances to grow by 5 to 10 percent this year.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park to Become a Comprehensive International Resort Destination
Boosted by Development of Ocean Hotel*

*Hotel Targeted for 2016 Completion to Complement the Recently Completed
Master Redevelopment Plan and Additional New Attractions Opening from 2014
Hotel Project Alone Expected to Create 3,500 New Employment Positions*

Press Release
(8 January 2013, Hong Kong) Ocean Park today announced news of further expansion with the issuance of a tender invitation to develop a hotel targeted for completion in the third quarter of 2016. With the completion of the Master Redevelopment Plan and the planned opening of a number of new world-class attractions from 2014, one day is not enough to experience all that the Park has to offer. The planned hotel will thus provide convenient accommodations for guests spending multiple days at Ocean Park, and transform Hong Kong People’s Park into a premier international resort destination. The hotel project, now featuring terms that are more in line with market expectations, is expected to create 3,500 new employment positions during the construction phase and, upon completion, approximately 500 permanent hospitality positions.

The 495-room “Ocean Hotel” will be built on a 17,044 square-metre site in front of Ocean Park’s main entrance. Tender submissions will be accepted until 8 April 2013, and the contract with the successful tenderer is expected to be signed during the fourth quarter of 2013. Tender submissions will first be assessed and scored on their respective Technical Proposals, with design excellence receiving a weighting of 65%, whilst financial strength of the proponent and hotel management credentials are assigned a 35% weighting. Submissions that exceed the passing score under the Technical Proposal assessment will be ranked in order of the land premium offered in their respective Financial Proposal, with the tenderer proposing the highest amount to be selected as the Most Preferred Proponent. The Most Preferred Proponent will be appointed as the successful tenderer once they are able to satisfy the statutory process and requirements, e.g. Planning Approval Conditions; acceptance of lease modification conditions; payment of land premium, etc.

Ocean Park expects the tender exercise will attract feasible and sustainable development proposals as the Government will accept the premium offered by the Most Preferred Proponent. 

Dr. Allan Zeman, Chairman of Ocean Park, said, “Having been recognised as a world-leading theme park with our recent Applause Award accolade, we are now ready to transform Ocean Park into a premier international resort destination and further fulfil our role as a major pillar of Hong Kong’s tourism industry. With the completion of the MTR South Island Line in 2015, the new hotel will also enhance Southern District’s position as a new base for travellers. The proposed design of the hotel must be compatible with Ocean Park’s mission to provide guests with memorable experiences combining conservation, education and entertainment values, as well as its vision to connect people with nature. We are grateful to the Hong Kong Government for working closely with us to come up with an appealing project, which will enhance destination tourism, and reinforce our contribution to local employment opportunities in both the construction and hospitality sectors.”

Dr. Zeman concluded, “Further to the completion of our Master Redevelopment Plan, which expanded the Park significantly, Ocean Park will be unveiling a number of world-class attractions beginning in 2014. A new shark aquarium, created from the former Atoll Reef, will open in the third quarter of 2014. This will be followed by the opening of the much-anticipated koala exhibit in the fourth quarter of 2014. More exciting still is the on-going planning work for the redevelopment of the now-closed Tai Shue Wan area into a water park. We look forward to sharing each exciting milestone with the people of Hong Kong and visitors from all over the world alike. ”


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*RECORD CROWDS THRONG TO PARKS*
The Standard
Thursday, February 14, 2013

Thousands of residents and tourists had their holidays ruined when Ocean Park suspended the sale of tickets for the second successive day because of excessive crowds.

The two-day shutout at the popular theme park sparked renewed calls yesterday for more tourism attractions and infrastructure to meet an increasing number of visitors.

Crowd management measures were implemented to control admissions to the park, though those celebrating their birthdays, senior citizens aged 65 and over who enjoy free entry, and annual pass holders were not affected.

A spokeswoman said the number of visitors on Tuesday surpassed the 2011 daily record of 48,000.

She added that when guests reach 28,000 to 32,000, the park usually makes an announcement persuading visitors to return another day.

"Our regulation is that not more than 36,600 can appear in the park at the same time,'' she said.

Visitors to Disneyland also complained that they spent a long time in queues to get rides.

A spokeswoman said Disneyland recorded its highest number of visitors for a single day on Tuesday, while yesterday's crowd was the second highest. She did not mention the figures.

The tourism sector has called for an increase in the number of attractions and has opposed limiting the number of visitors through administrative measures.

Tourism sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing said it is time to review Hong Kong's ability to receive visitors and agreed on suggestions to develop more attractions in districts such as the islands.

Yiu also suggested reviewing the maximum attendance at Ocean Park and Disneyland.

"In the short term we can improve the notifi dhcation system by making announcements at border crossings so that visitors can adjust their itineraries,'' he said. "In the long term, there should be more attractions in order to disperse the visitors. For example, we can improve facilities in the islands to attract visitors.

"Building a Shaolin monastery in Sai Kung, which has been reported, is also a good idea.''

Yiu opposed limiting the number of visitors with administrative measures, saying this will have a prolonged impact on the economy.

"Once you stop visitors from coming, it will be hard to get them back.''

Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Yao-chung welcomed the construction of more attractions but said this will take time.

A spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Tourism Board said it has not received complaints about overcrowding at attractions.


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## timo9 (Oct 24, 2008)

hkskyline said:


> By *陆文龙* from a Chinese photography forum :


Great update keep the work


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Rise of new marvels at parks*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Thursday, February 28, 2013



















*****************************

Ocean Park, meanwhile, will receive a HK$2.3 billion loan from the government to build a new, all-weather Water World.

The feature will enhance park facilities, which last year won the industry's prestigious Applause Award, the first Asian attraction to be recognized as the best theme park in the world.

Sources said the loan will "spur early commencement of the project," and will be repaid over 20 years with an interest of 5percent.

Construction will begin by the end of this year or early next, with the attraction expected to open in 2017.

Unlike the former Water World, which had only man-made outdoor facilities and was closed in 1999, the new, much larger version will feature rides and combine a pool with a natural beach.

Whether visitors will need a separate ticket to enter has not yet been decided.

The funding proposal will be submitted to the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council in the next few months.

A spokeswoman said the park is delighted to receive support from the government.

"The all-weather water park will be able to accommodate a maximum of 15,000 visitors a day," she said.

She added the project will create 2,900 jobs and generate HK$842 million in tourism growth by 2018.

Tourism sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing said both theme parks are in need of new attractions to draw new customers.

But he is concerned as to whether the 27-hectare Disneyland, one of the smallest in the world, can stand the competition from Shanghai's Disneyland, which will open in 2015.

"What the park needs in the long term is a large money injection for large-scale development," Yiu added. "It has to be done between the government in Hong Kong and Walt Disney in the United States."


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Park a splash hit as more visit*
The Standard
Friday, May 31, 2013

Ocean Park will chalk up an annual attendance record after beating last year's 7.1 million visitors about a month before the end of the fiscal year on June 30. Chairman Allan Zeman said that last August alone, one million people visited the Aberdeen theme park, a monthly record in its 36-year history.

The number of visitors from South Korea, the Philippines, India, Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia has increased by 60percent over the past five years.

Mainlanders are still the top source of visitors at 50 percent, while locals make up 30percent. The number of Indian tourists is growing fast, making up 18percent of overseas visitors.

The park gave a 10-year VIP pass to a Taiwanese family who provided the 7.1 millionth visitor. Wendy Chang, who came to Hong Kong with her husband and daughters, aged six and 2 years, said it was the elder girl's kindergarten trip and the family was lucky to win. 

In a ceremony yesterday, Zeman appeared with a replica of the famous giant Rubber Duck from Victoria Harbour.

Zeman hopes the next annual attendance record will be 7.4 million.

"In addition to the recent opening of many new attractions, a number of world-class attractions will be launched starting from 2014," he said. 

"They include the new Shark Mystique and Adventures in Australia featuring eight koalas and more, which will be opened in mid-2014 and the fourth quarter of 2014 respectively." 

Shark Mystique will be five times bigger than the old facility with 100 sharks representing 15 species.

After the Legislative Council approved a loan of HK$2.29 billion, Ocean Park will develop a new water world scheduled for opening in 2017. 

The attraction will have 25 features, including 13 giant water slides and two wave pools. 

It will also have the world's longest lazy river, a large LED backdrop and a performance stage in a water park.

Construction will run from early 2015 to mid-2017.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Tourism chief's firm to build Ocean Park hotel *
Development company owned by Peter Lam, also a tycoon and government ally, generates conflict-of-interest talk with its winning bid
11 October 2013
South China Morning Post 










A property development company owned by government ally and Tourism Board chairman Dr Peter Lam Kin-ngok has won a tender for a HK$4.1 billion project to build a long-awaited hotel at Ocean Park.

Capital Court is said to have beaten six other bids received in the January exercise, but its appointment raised concerns over a possible conflict of interest.

Ocean Park said Capital Court, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lai Sun Development, was found to be the "most preferred proponent" for the project after a six-month study of the bids.

The theme park's chief executive Tom Mehrmann sought yesterday to dispel the concerns.

"Lai Sun was selected because it has achieved and exceeded the passing scores under the technical evaluations on design excellence, financial strength and management credentials, and has proposed the highest premium amount out of all the tender submissions," Mehrmann said.

Lai Sun teamed up with Marriott International in the bidding. Lai Sun offered about HK$1.6 billion in land premium.

The construction cost is estimated at HK$2.5 billion.

The 495-room hotel will sit on a 1.7-hectare site at the park's main entrance in Aberdeen. It will be operated by Marriott.

Ocean Park is to seek final approval for the development from the Town Planning Board.

The project is expected to break ground in the first half of next year and is due to open by early 2017 - some four years behind the original schedule as it should have opened this year.

The plans lapsed in 2011 because of a lack of interest from developers, which were reportedly discouraged by the high land premium sought by the government. A revised tender in January eased some of the requirements and attracted seven bids.

Lai Sun Development falls under the Lai Sun Group, which Lam chairs. The pro-government tycoon is known to be a fan of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. He was appointed early this year to chair the Tourism Board, and this week he was named to a new government advisory committee on trade co-operation with the mainland. Lam also sits on the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Another of his subsidiaries, Lai Fung, faced a public outcry in June for demolishing two historic buildings in Guangzhou, one of which was the home of late "King of Cantonese opera" Sit Kok-sin.

Tourism-sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing warned of a possible conflict of interest. "The details of the winning bid and the tender screening mechanism should be revealed to the public and the bidders who lost," Yiu said.

Ocean Park said: "During the tender process, declarations of interest were made by all relevant board members of Ocean Park. Those board members with any interest in any of the parties submitting tenders did not take part in any deliberation, assessment or scoring of the tenders, while the [Independent Commission Against Corruption] was engaged to provide input on and review the tender procedures and observe the scoring process."

Lai Sun Development deputy chairman Chew Fook-aun said: "We joined the tender … as we planned to increase our leasing portfolio." He said Lam knew the company was planning to bid, but did not take part in any meeting on the project led by Chew.

The Tourism Board said it was not involved in the tender and that the project was a private business under Lam's group.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

_Renderings and site photos of the future Ocean Park MTR station :_

*海洋公園港鐵站勁玩波浪feel *
2013年12月10日 (二)






















































港鐵南港島線（東段）預計於二○一五年下半年通車，當中的海洋公園站昨日平頂，車站外牆將以不同深淺度的藍色玻璃為主要飾面，且呈波浪形，配合海洋的設計主題。新線通車後，市民由金鐘站往海洋公園站只需四分鐘，比起乘搭巴士快約二十一分鐘。海洋公園預料，屆時公園入場人次將額外增長一成至一成半。

港鐵南港島線（東段）項目經理黃健維昨表示，海洋公園站位於海洋公園以北，共有三個出入口，其中一個出入口將以行人天橋連接公園正門。

車廂擬融入南區特色
車站採用側式月台，即路軌置於中間，左右兩邊是候車月台，月台長七十米，較市區線一般長一百八十米的月台為短；而月台頂部則是半開放式，可引入自然光。

黃健維又指，港鐵正研究將南區的社區特色融入列車的內籠設計，並指該線的國產列車會依程序進行安全測試，「我哋有人派駐內地監督同測試」，預料首架列車將於明年抵港。

全長約七公里的港鐵南港島線（東段）整體工程已完成約五成，共設金鐘、海洋公園、黃竹坑、利東及海怡半島五個車站。新線屬於中型鐵路系統，以三卡列車行走，繁忙時間約三分鐘一班，最高載客量可達每小時二萬人次（單向計算）。海洋公園主席盛智文表示，去年公園全年入場人次達七百六十萬，預料新線通車後可額外增長一成至一成半，並有助紓緩香港仔隧道擠塞。他又說，海洋公園明年會招標興建第二間酒店。


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Koala bears and hotels beckon at Ocean Park*
The Standard
Thursday, January 23, 2014

Ocean Park will add 30 attractions in its latest round of development projects, with additional staff of 1,100 by 2017.

The theme park in Aberdeen will also have a full wi-fi service next year, which will allow visitors to use its mobile app to check attractions, waiting times and background information on animals.

New attractions this year will be a 7,000-square- foot koala museum to open in December and a 20,000-sq-ft shark aquarium in July.

The park has planted 400 eucalyptus trees for the eight koalas from South Australia, which will arrive in batches, said sales and marketing executive director Vivian Lee Fung-ling. Three kangaroos and birds such as the kookaburra will also be imported.

Among the 30 attractions will be a 400,000-sq- ft Water World, set to open in 2017.

Executive director of design and planning Celine Cheung Wing-yee said Water World is built along the mountain to reduce harm to the environment.

The four-star, 495-room Ocean Hotel will be opened in 2017. Ocean Park will spend HK$2.5 billion on the hotel project, and another HK$1.6 billion on land premium. A four-star Fisherman's Wharf hotel and five-star spa hotel are also planned.

About 7.5 million visitors went to the park last year. The new attractions are expected to help boost visitor numbers to eight million.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Lai Sun eyes hotels amid rise in visitors*
5 March 2014
South China Morning Post 

Years after it demolished two five-star hotels it owned in Central to make way for office projects, midsize developer Lai Sun Development is looking to re-enter the hospitality industry in Hong Kong.

The firm will enter the bidding to build a hotel on Lantau Island. The Airport Authority of Hong Kong invited expressions of interest from developers to build a 1,200-room hotel of at least a three-star grade on part of the SkyCity car park near the AsiaWorld-Expo.

The tendering to build the hotel closes on March 31.

“We see demand for hotel rooms far outstripping supply, as the city has only about 60,000 rooms,” Lai Sun deputy chairman Chew Fook Aun said.

The government recently predicted 70 million tourists would visit the city per year by 2017.

*In October, Lai Sun, chaired by Peter Lam Kin-ngok, who is also chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said it would invest HK$4.1 billion to build a 495-room resort hotel in Ocean Park. It beat six firms to win the tender.

The Ocean Park hotel, with a total gross floor area of 366,000 square feet, will be managed by Marriott International and is slated to open by early 2017.*

It will be Lai Sun’s first hotel in Hong Kong since it demolished the 28-year-old, 517-room Furama Hotel in 2001. The grade A offices of AIA Central now occupy that site.

In 2008, Lai Sun tore down the 216-room Ritz-Carlton Hotel, adjacent to the Furama, to make way for the development of the CCB Tower. The firm has a 10 per cent stake in AIA Central and a 50 per cent share of CCB Tower.

Lai Sun owns 95 per cent of the Starr Hotel in Shanghai and a 26 per cent stake in the Caravelle Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Chew said Lai Sun was expanding its holdings to increase its rental income.

With the opening of its commercial-retail project in Observatory Road, Tsim Sha Tsui – a 50-50 joint venture with Henderson Land Development – and its Ocean Park hotel, the company’s investment portfolio will expand 31 per cent to 1.84 million sq ft in 2017, according to Chew.

On the mainland, Lai Sun’s investment portfolio would increase to 5.61 million sq ft by 2019, up 128 per cent from 2.45 million sq ft at present, Chew said. Its mainland property development subsidiary, Lai Fung, and a unit of eSun will develop a 2.8 million sq ft “creative culture city” in Hengqin, the special economic zone off Zhuhai.

At the end of 2012, Lai Sun joined ousted Sun Hung Kai Properties chairman Walter Kwok Ping-sheung in buying a residential site in Tseung Kwan O for HK$2.86 billion, or HK$4,929 per sq ft.

“Taking into account construction costs, the total cost will be HK$8,000 per sq ft. Current transaction prices are more than HK$10,000 per sq ft in Tseung Kwan O. Our flats will enjoy a full sea view. The land price is okay,” he said.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*HK gov't to ensure sufficient capacity to receive tourists *

HONG KONG, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Financial Secretary John Tsang said Wednesday that the government should strive to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to receive visitors.

Speaking in his budget speech, the city's financial chief said "In order to attract high-spending visitors to Hong Kong, thus bring about more economic benefits from tourism, we should continue to upgrade our tourist facilities, host attractive mega events and maintain an adequate supply of high-end hotel accommodation."

On tourist facilities, the construction of the waterpark in the Hong Kong Ocean Park and the "Iron Man Experience" in the Hong Kong Disneyland has commenced by phases. Cruise liners and passengers found the terminal building and the first berth of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, which came into operation last June, satisfactory. The second berth is planned to be commissioned this year, Tsang said.

As for hotels, the government is pressing ahead with the infrastructure works at the southern end of the runway and south apron of the former Kai Tak Airport.

"We are identifying feasible ways for the gradual release of the six sites facing Victoria Harbor within the 'hotel belt' adjacent to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal to the market starting from the end of next year," he said.

Tsang also suggested the allocation of an additional 45 million HK dollars (about 5.8 million U.S. dollars) for the Hong Kong Tourism Board to provide more attractive and targeted services and concessions for organizers and participants of conventions and exhibitions of various scales and types in the coming three years. Meanwhile, the government is studying the demand for convention and exhibition facilities in Hong Kong in the next 15 years.

Tourism has been making immense contribution to Hong Kong's economy. In 2013, visitors to Hong Kong exceeded 50 million, an increase of 11.7 percent over 2012.

Total spending went up by 14. 8 percent to 340 billion HK dollars.(1 U.S. dollar = 7.76 HK dollars)


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ocean Park makes a splash with water plan*
22 May 2014
South China Morning Post

Attraction’s new water park will have a futuristic look when it opens in 2017

Ocean Park’s new water park is designed to blend in with the hillsides of Southern district with a futuristic, terraced look when it opens in 2017, a report to the government shows.

The design is meant to be in harmony with the park’s natural surroundings in Tai Shue Wan, the theme park says in an environmental assessment report submitted to the Environmental Protection Department.

The park, a statutory body under the government, is paying for the development with a HK$2.3 billion government loan, announced in last year’s budget.

Pools, water slides and other recreational facilities are built into terraces, with the bay stretching out in front, according to the plans.

“This scheme now takes good advantage of the existing slope conditions by locating ride platforms on or near the slopes to minimise the amount of structural support required,” the report says.

It says it is an improvement on an earlier plan that envisaged having a flat building shaped like a “clam shell” as the focal point.

The park’s former Water World attraction closed in 1999.

It expects the new attraction to accommodate up to 10,500 visitors a day.

The centrepiece will be two elliptical indoor pools with glass roofs rimmed by plants that will let sunlight in. More terraces will be built on the opposite slope, where the first level will house the entrance and ticketing office, an exhibition of sea turtles, changing rooms, restaurants and retail stores.

An outdoor wave pool, plunge pools for slides, an indoor surf rider and slides will be on level two.

The next floor will have an indoor wave pool, more indoor play structures, outdoor activity pools and spa pools.

The top level will feature water slides.

It will open from 9am to 11pm.

The new attraction is projected to boost the visitor capacity of Ocean Park, which received more than 7.7 million people – or a daily average of 21,095 – in the financial year that ended in June last year.

The park claims the water centre will entice tourists to stay an extra three-quarters of a day in the city.

“[It] is projected to contribute significantly to the local economy and drastically stimulate industry growth – it is estimated to create 2,900 jobs, as well as generate HK$842 million in tourism growth,” the report estimates.

The assessment report and artist’s impressions of the project are available on the department’s website.

The park is in the midst of an expansion boom. On Tuesday, it announced that it had chosen Lai Sun Development as its partner in the building of a 495-room Marriott hotel, which is also expected to open in 2017.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Zeman about town sails off from Ocean Park*
21 June 2014
South China Morning Post	

Hong Kong is home to many of Asia’s most powerful tycoons, but few, if any, have had as big an impact on the city’s development over the decades as Allan Zeman.

The Canadian-born entrepreneur was famous for turning Lan Kwai Fong into an icon for Hong Kong nightlife before he was parachuted into the government-owned Ocean Park in 2003. He took over as its chairman in the midst of the Sars-induced economic doldrums.

On June 30, Zeman will leave the post after an 11-year stint that has turned the theme park’s financial losses into healthy profits and seen off fears that the 37-year-old park would not survive Disney’s arrival in town in 2005. At one point, Zeman was referred to as “the mouse-killer”.

“There are so many unforgettable things I’ve done over the years,” Zeman told the South China Morning Post yesterday. “It is the joy of being able to bring happiness to Hong Kong and creating something that attracts worldwide attention.”

Zeman’s penchant for wearing ridiculous outfits to the park’s press conferences certainly helped garner attention. He’s been a giant jellyfish, a Chinese emperor and even a showgirl in high heels and fishnet stockings.

He moved to Hong Kong at the age of 19 and once described arriving in the city as like landing on the moon.

He started exporting clothing back to Canada but by 1983, Zeman had opened his first restaurant in Lan Kwai Fong.

Zeman said he bought California Tower and California Entertainment Building over 25 years ago for about HK$160 million. Today, they are worth about HK$5 billion. As his empire grew, he earned himself the nickname “Mr Lan Kwai Fong”.

Zeman has since exported the Lan Kwai Fong model, most notably to mainland China cities such as Chengdu , Sichuan province, where local authorities are eager to replicate his success.

Zeman admits to knowing little about the theme park industry when he was installed at the helm of Ocean Park. He oversaw a HK$5.5 billion makeover between 2006 and 2012 and it is now one of the 10 most visited theme parks in the world, consistently outperforming Disney locally.

His reputation for breaking the mould was further sealed in 2008 when, tired of being seen as a foreigner in Hong Kong, he opted to give up his Canadian passport for a Chinese one. He called it a testament to his faith in the Chinese system.

Zeman has served on the chief executive selection committee, as well as various other government committees, boards and advisory bodies across a wide range of issues.

Apart from a seemingly inexhaustible appetite for property development in Hong Kong and abroad, Zeman also has footings in films and TV, most notably as chairman of Los Angeles-based Sweetpea Entertainment.

There may be one deal he failed to pull off though. In 1993, he was one of the organisers behind a fruitless drive to have Michael Jackson kick off his Dangerous world tour in Hong Kong.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Take a wild ride
Recruitment at Ocean Park rocketing as new rides and attractions come online *
28 June 2014
South China Morning Post

There has been no up-and-down roller-coaster ride in visitor numbers at Ocean Park since Tom Mehrmann took over as chief executive in 2004. Barring a pause for breath during the recent global financial crisis, the trend has been unerringly upwards.

In the year 2003-04, weighed down by the Sars epidemic, the still-fading effects of the previous century's Asian financial crisis and years of underinvestment, the park attracted 3.68 million customers. This has since soared to 7.7 million in Ocean Park's last full year of operation.

"This is growth of 109 per cent [across the 10-year period] and this hasn't happened in the industry before, especially for a mature product like ours," Mehrmann says.

To ensure there is no let-up in the increasing level of popularity, Ocean Park plans to add around 30 attractions and a projected 1,100 permanent staff positions by 2017.

The new Sharks Mystique attraction opened this month, featuring 100 sharks in the renovated Atoll reef exhibit, while Adventures in Australia is due to welcome its first visitors in December.

"The recruitment work for fairly specialised positions has already begun as we need to have life-support-systems people, engineering staff and animal-care professionals already on board," Mehrmann explains.

"Running a theme park requires everybody, from the line-level person who might be cleaning the streets, to the one who may be performing medical procedures on animals. We also have the traditional positions: marketing, accounting, finance of any sort, sales, food and beverage, and retail," he adds.

Key projects next in the pipeline are a new 400,000 square foot water park and the 495-room Ocean Hotel. Beyond the manpower needed in the construction phase, these two facilities will create significantly more new positions. "About 500 permanent staff will be in the hotel when it is up and running, and we will have about 500 to 600 staff in the new water park," Mehrmann says.

Ocean Park has obviously benefited from the overall rise in tourism to Hong Kong in recent years, but Mehrmann also points to the park's major capital investments and the reinvigoration of its spirit through a number of key major events as the reasons for its upturn in fortunes.

"We kept the best and we improved the rest," he explains. "We invested HK$5.55 billion in the property, in eight phases of development over the six years between 2006 and 2012. We changed what Ocean Park is, while not deviating from our core principles of education, conservation and entertainment. In fact, about 66 per cent of our total investment went into education and conservation."

Along with the upgrades to the "hardware", the park annually stages its "big five" seasonal events, including celebrations at Lunar New Year, Halloween and Christmas. "The idea is that we change the 'software' five times a year, so if you're coming back to the park it's always going to feel fresh and new," Mehrmann says.

"The MTR is coming to the property in 2015, and that's going to change the way guests arrive and depart, and may raise our attendance beyond the growth we're already seeing," he adds.

With its mix of rides and wildlife, and its status as a not-for-profit, government-owned tourist attraction that must pay its own way, Mehrmann sees Ocean Park as a unique industry hybrid. In 2012, it even collected the "Applause Award", presented every two years by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions to amusement parks that have inspired the industry.

"For me, the theme park industry is vibrant at the moment, and more so in Asia than anywhere else," Mehrmann says. "Even in times of austerity, people want the type of escape that parks offer."

Mehrmann views the presence of Disneyland on his patch as a good thing. "I think the goal has always been to make Hong Kong a better destination," he says. "So if you have two world-class facilities in the same destination, the guests are going to be prompted to go to both, and we have definitely seen that."


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*No hugs for cuddly koalas at Hong Kong's Ocean Park*
24 March 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_



















Three koalas from South Australia will greet visitors from Tuesday in their new habitat in Ocean Park - but hugs and noise are not allowed.

Although visitors can get as close as one metre to the marsupials - in an exhibit space modelled on the South Australian outback, with patches of eucalyptus trees - they are not allowed to touch or hug them. 

The cuddly koalas, named Dougie, Merinda and Yani, will share their space with other Australian species including laughing kookaburras and red-necked wallabies.

Yani, meaning "peace" in Kaurna, a language used by a group of indigenous people in the Adelaide Plains of South Australia, was picked for one of the female koalas through an online campaign. The name was revealed yesterday.

Howard Chuk Hau-chung, senior curator of terrestrial life science at the park, said visitors are not allowed to hug the tree-clinging creatures because they are sensitive to disruptions such as noise and touch, which would affect their appetite.

He said the exhibit area would only allow 100 visitors at a time and there would be staff reminding visitors to be quiet and not run around the area or use flash photography.

"Koalas have a rather unpredictable eating schedule," said Chuk. "If they are disturbed at the time they plan to eat, they will skip the meal and go directly into sleeping."

He said the park had planted over 9,000 eucalyptus trees of five species in three places in Guangdong province to satisfy the koalas' appetites.

The South Australian government agreed to share eight koalas with Hong Kong, Chuk said, but there is no timetable on when the other five will arrive.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Water park will be ‘No1 in world’*
6 November 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_









_from Ocean Park 








from Ocean Park _



















Zeman says Ocean Park’s new attraction will be late but worth the wait

Visitors to Ocean Park will not get to enjoy its new water attraction until the second half of 2018, but the delay from the original 2017 target will be “worth the wait” as it will feature the best Hong Kong deserves, the park says.

Water World is being paid for with a HK$2.3 billion government loan, and the park’s honorary adviser, Allan Zeman, said the adjusted schedule was unlikely to lead to a cost overrun.

“The water park originally was scheduled to be completed in 2017. But we all felt that, with water parks, there is so much new technology now,” Zeman said at a ceremony to launch the construction work yesterday.

“So we thought, let’s wait a little bit, a few more months and get the best we can for Hong Kong. Let’s make it No1 in the world. And so it’s worth the wait.”

Park chairman Leo Kung Lin-cheng added that the delay was due to changes to the design.

When the park comes on stream, visitors can expect 27 attractions built into a series of terraced platforms, designed in harmony with the natural surroundings of Tai Shue Wan.

The attractions will include a “surf rider” that lets people ride waves on surfboards. There will also be two large wave pools, one infinity pool, two resort-style cabana areas and nine water slides.

The park is expected to create 2,900 jobs and add HK$842 million to the city’s gross domestic product. It will be able to handle 10,500 visitors a day and cover more than 64,000 square metres – twice the size of the old water park that closed in 1999.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Untitled by C.H Lam Photography, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Hong Kong government to propose revised bailout plan for Ocean Park soon *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 9, 2020

A revised bailout plan will be proposed by the Hong Kong government very soon to save Ocean Park from running out of cash as early as in June, the Post has learned.

Two sources said that a HK$10.6 billion (US$1.35 billion) proposal tabled in January would not go ahead with officials unveiling an alternative on Monday at the earliest, after the Covid-19 pandemic forced the theme park on Southern district to shut down temporarily.

On Friday night, the legislature’s Finance Committee announced that its chairman had agreed to put a plan relating to the future of the attraction on the agenda for its meeting next week, on the administration’s request.

“Lawmakers had big reservations over the HK$10.6 billion plan when it was discussed in the economic development panel last time. So, no matter what, the government cannot just put the same thing to the Finance Committee,” a source familiar with the matter said.

The source was referring to a panel meeting in January where legislators across the political spectrum voiced scepticism about the plan, as the park’s management warned it only had HK$400 million in the bank.

More : Hong Kong government to propose revised bailout plan for Ocean Park soon


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Ocean Park runs out of cash, seeks HK$5.4bn urgently *
RTHK _Excerpt_
May 11, 2020

The government is asking the Legislative Council to quickly approve a HK$5.4 billion plan to help Ocean Park stay afloat, saying the theme park will run out of cash in a couple of weeks time.

Commerce and Economic Development Secretary Edward Yau warned that the amusement park is in dire straits after it was forced to stop receiving visitors in late January because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon, Yau said that HK$5.4 billion is needed to save the park from closing down, and that it will run out of cash as early as June.

The item has been put on the agenda of Legco's Finance Committee for this Friday's meeting, and the sum is to keep the park running for the next 12 months and to cover HK$3 billion worth of loans that are soon due to be repaid soon.

The amusement park had in January requested funding of HK$10.6 billion for a revamp to shore up its visitor numbers.

More : Ocean Park runs out of cash, seeks HK$5.4bn urgently - RTHK


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Hong Kong’s Ocean Park needs HK$5 billion lifeline but are taxpayers being taken for a ride?*
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 12, 2020

Hong Kong’s cash-strapped Ocean Park could go bankrupt next month unless it receives an urgent bailout of HK$5.4 billion, the government warned on Monday, even as lawmakers questioning the use of taxpayers’ money looked set to make funding approval a rough ride.

The proposal, which the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee will review on Friday before a possible vote, could buy the tourist attraction enough time to stay afloat for another 12 months, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah said.

The government had considered giving the park HK$10.64 billion back in January for longer-term renovation, but given the collapse of the tourism industry caused by the Covid-19 pandemic was now weighing only half that amount, according to Yau.

The emergency funding could provide a window for management to come up with a better plan for the park’s survival and allow payment of HK$3 billion in commercial debt, he said, describing the operational and financial challenges the park faced as “unprecedented”. Another HK$5 billion is owed to the government.

“Without the help, there will only be one outcome: that Ocean Park will cease operation,” Yau said. “That means Hong Kong will lose a recreational and educational park that has benefited so many Hong Kong people in the past few decades, and an important tourism infrastructure.”

More : Ocean Park needs HK$5 billion bailout, but are taxpayers being taken for a ride?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Onus on officials to show Ocean Park can stay afloat financially *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 12, 2020

Realistically, the government has ditched an ambitious revamp of Ocean Park in favour of a new proposal that would buy more time to convince the public the 43-year-old attraction still has a future.

But instead of repositioning it as an adventure-themed resort with HK$10.64 billion (US$1.3 billion) as originally planned, the new funding package is also a hard sell – spending half as much just to keep the park going for another year pending a HK$13.2 million review, which may or may not give it a new lease of life.

Whichever the preferred option, it would still involve a large amount of public funds. But neither choice can guarantee it would be money well spent. Ultimately, the basic question cannot be avoided. Is there any possibility the park will reinvent itself to become a financially viable venture in the long run?

There was scepticism as to whether the original bailout could breathe new life into the park. With the novel coronavirus pandemic still spreading, the way forward for global and regional tourism remains unclear. Meanwhile, the park’s finances have declined further following the shutdown in January.

Unless the HK$5.4 billion funding tabled before the Legislative Council Finance Committee on Friday can be approved in time, the park will go under next month regardless of whether it reopens or not, according to the government.

More : Onus on officials to show Ocean Park can stay afloat financially


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Commerce chief pleads with Hong Kong lawmakers to back HK$5.4 billion rescue of Ocean Park *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 14, 2020

Hong Kong’s commerce minister has pleaded with lawmakers to save the city’s Ocean Park amusement resort by approving a HK$5.4 billion (US$687 million) rescue package.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah, who spoke exclusively to the South China Morning Post on Thursday at its China Conference, warned of the instant demise of the non-profit-making park, should legislators throw out the emergency plan at a Finance Committee meeting on Friday.

“We will lose the park if lawmakers vote it down tomorrow,” he said. “We do not want our own park – a home-grown, international Ocean Park – to be the first victim of Covid-19.”

The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic was the last straw for the insolvent resort, which was forced to close its doors temporarily on January 26 as Hong Kong battled the contagion’s spread.

As a result of the pandemic, Hong Kong has largely been in lockdown for the past few months. The city’s tourism industry has been hit hard, with arrivals down almost 99 per cent year on year to 82,000 in March.

The HK$5.4 billion cash injection Yau is supporting is almost half of the HK$10.64 billion the government proposed in January as a longer-term approach for rescuing the park. 

More : Commerce chief pleads with lawmakers to back HK$5.4 billion Ocean Park rescue


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Govt to study Ocean Park's options: Edward Yau *
RTHK _Excerpt_
May 16, 2020

The Commerce Secretary, Edward Yau, said on Saturday that the government will study in the coming half year whether Ocean Park can help to boost the development of the Southern District - although he didn't give details.

The Legislative Council Finance Committee is vetting a HK$5.4 billion cash injection to stop the park from closing down as early as June.

Speaking on a radio programme, Yau said he didn't want to see the cash-strapped park become a victim of the coronavirus outbreak and economic downturn.

He says Hong Kongers have emotional ties with the park - whether it's profitable or not.

Yau said the theme park needs to adjust its positioning after its immediate cash issues are solved.

He said the government won't keep subsidising the park when it faces operational problems.

More : Govt to study Ocean Park's options: Edward Yau - RTHK


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Hong Kong commerce chief vows to review how resort is operated, in eleventh-hour plea to lawmakers to support bailout *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 21, 2020

Hong Kong’s commerce minister on Thursday promised to look at relaxing land restrictions at Ocean Park and to review how the cash-strapped resort is run, the day before a fateful vote in the city’s legislature on a HK$5.4 billion rescue package.

In a last-ditch effort to convince sceptical lawmakers to back the government’s deal, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah said the attraction – a statutory not-for-profit body owned by the Hong Kong government – would no longer operate as a traditional theme park.

He said the government would downscale amusement rides and minimise investment in them to cut costs, while focusing on education and environmental themes, including the preservation of the natural world.

Yau said: “We will explore ways to break through the limits of the park and help it be financially sustainable. I hope the park will receive the funding within a month, otherwise, jobs and animals at the park are at risk.”

He said the government would review five aspects of the park: its future funding sources, mode of operation, the legal regime governing it, use of the land and the wider development of the Southern district.

More : Minister vows to review how Ocean Park is operated in late plea to lawmakers


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Ocean Park is not too big to fail. If anything, it has failed Hong Kong and we should shut it down *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 18, 2020

...

The Hong Kong government has a 53 per cent controlling stake in Hong Kong Disneyland. Our home-grown Ocean Park may go bust next month if it doesn’t get a HK$5.4 billion (US$690 million) government bailout. In fact, the amusement park tried to ask for HK$10.6 billion early this year, citing a need to revamp itself as the flow of mainland tourists ran dry during the months of anti-government protests.

But the park was having trouble attracting mainland visitors long before waves of social unrest and Covid-19 hit the city. It has been losing visitors and money for years. Its heyday – in 2012-13, when it drew a record 7.7 million visitors under the chairmanship of Allan Zeman – is long past.

Legislator and New People’s Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee called it a “failed business” months ago, when it was revealed that the park was not only in debt but also running low on cash. At the time, it already had to repay commercial loans of HK$2.3 billion, and a government loan of HK$3.67 billion.

At this point, a HK$5.4 billion lifeline would only keep the park afloat for another 12 months. Letting it live on borrowed time, on borrowed money, will do neither the park nor Hong Kong any good.

This is an old story, really. Instead of quitting while it was ahead, Ocean Park made the same mistakes as other failed businesses before it: it was overly reliant on a single source of income (mainland tourists); it overexpanded while overborrowing; it overestimated the success of over-budgeted projects.

More : Ocean Park isn’t too big to fail. If anything, it has failed Hong Kong


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## LivinAWestLife (Aug 24, 2019)

I hope Ocean Park doesn't shut down. It's our home-grown theme park and I believe most HKers are proud of it.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Hong Kong’s troubled Ocean Park saved as lawmakers approve HK$5.4 billion relief fund * 
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 29, 2020

Hong Kong’s ailing Ocean Park will be bailed out by the taxpayer after the legislature approved a HK$5.4 billion (US$692 million) relief fund for the attraction to stay afloat for another 12 months.

After hours of debate, 32 legislators gave the nod to a lifeline for the home-grown theme park in Aberdeen amid fears of possible liquidation in June. Twenty lawmakers voted “no” and two abstained.

But the park still faces a bumpy ride to pick up business as the coronavirus pandemic has brought the city’s tourism industry to a standstill.

More : Ocean Park saved as Hong Kong lawmakers give nod to HK$5.4 billion fund


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Ocean Park to re-open with 'public health measures' * 
June 8, 2020
RTHK _Excerpt_

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau says Ocean Park will reopen on Saturday, even though the social distancing measures will still be in place for at least another five days.

The government had extended an eight-person limit on public gatherings until June 18 after a new coronavirus cluster was reported in the city. Police had cited the measure when denying permission for the annual Tiananmen Square massacre vigil last week.

Announcing the reopening of the cash-strapped theme park, Yau said on Monday that they had consulted health authorities before arriving at the decision.

Yau said that when it re-opens, the park will implement public hygiene measures such as compulsory masks for all guests, a cap on visitor numbers, and that visitors will have to book in advance.

When asked if the social gathering limit would apply to the park, Yau said they had discussed the matter with health officials and were told that as long as visitor numbers do not exceed 50 percent of the park's capacity, then there will be no problem.

“Whether it’s theme parks and book fairs, as long as they comply with public health measures then they can re-open," Yau said.

More : Ocean Park to re-open with 'public health measures' - RTHK


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Ocean Park reopens after more than four months of closure amid coronavirus *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
June 13, 2020

Hong Kong’s Ocean Park reopened on Saturday after more than four months of closure amid the coronavirus pandemic, with revellers braving rainy weather and heat to enjoy some long-awaited fun time.

Some of the dozens of guests waiting at the queues arrived at the attraction in Aberdeen hours before 10am, the opening time, and many visitors said they missed the excitement of the thrilling rides the park offered.

All of them donned a mask and had to go through a temperature check before entering the resort, as part of the amusement hub’s measures to guard against Covid-19.

More : Hong Kong’s Ocean Park reopens after more than four months


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Ocean Park re-opens, tickets booked up for days *
RTHK _Excerpt_
June 13, 2020

Ocean Park said on Saturday that its visiting quota for the next couple of weeks is already full, as it reopened its doors after a coronavirus-forced closure of more than four months.

The theme park has put in place a cap of 9,000 visitors per day – a quarter of its full capacity – for the next two weeks, and is requiring customers to register online before entering.

Dozens of people were seen queuing up before the park re-opened on Saturday morning. One child told RTHK: "I'm so happy because I can come back and play here again, the rides here are a lot of fun."

One person said they were taking precautionary hygiene measures inside the park by wearing a face mask and using hand sanitiser regularly.

Visitors also had their temperatures checked upon entering, and were reminded by park staff to wear face masks.

More : https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1531856-20200613.htm


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* 'Ocean Park future remains murky despite govt aid' *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Sep 10, 2020

Ocean Park said on Thursday that the future of the theme park remains uncertain even after a multi-billion dollar handout from the government in May, because it was able to open for only about 50 days so far this year amid the coronavirus epidemic.

The theme park was earlier this year given HK$5.4 billion in aid by the government to stay afloat for another year and implement a revamp to shore up its visitor numbers.

Chairman Lau Ming-wai said despite the government help, the park may ultimately have to close down anyway. But it's still too early to decide the park's future at this point.

He said both he and CEO Ysanne Chan are only around for a year, but they hope to find a way out for the troubled park.

Chan noted that during the short periods when the park was allowed to open this year, attendance and revenue have dropped by 90 percent compared with last year, adding to the financial woes facing Ocean Park.

More : 'Ocean Park future remains murky despite govt aid' - RTHK


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Ocean Park says it's not moving next to Disneyland *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Sep 24, 2020

Ocean Park said it's against the idea of moving and being located next to Hong Kong Disneyland after the government decided not to to extend an option for Disney for an adjacent plot in Penny's Bay.

While there have been calls to use the 60-hectare site to build homes, some in the tourism trade said having the two theme parks in the same area would create synergy and boost a much-needed boost to the ailing tourism trade.

Both Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland – and the local tourism industry as a whole – are struggling because of a lack of tourists over Covid-19.

More : Ocean Park says it's not moving next to Disneyland - RTHK


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Survival fears weighing down rival theme parks *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Oct 19, 2020

Meerkat stars Charles, Jeff, Yan and the rest of their family keep darting about the newly opened African-styled pavilion atOcean Park when caretaker Chau Wang-fei arrives.

The squirrel-sized animals immediately stand in a line on a rock and wait for him to put worms into their mouths, with a little one trying to get his attention by patting his leg.

"We are like friends," said Chau, 32. "Meerkats live in a family. They often resist outsiders. When they touch us, it means they have begun treating us as one of them."

The 43-year-old theme park in Aberdeen is more than a workplace for Chau. When he was a boy, his mother took him there every week to see the animals, sparking a lifelong attachment.

Despite securing a HK$5.4 billion government lifeline in May to avoid bankruptcy and stay afloat for another year, questions about the park's longer-term survival remain, as four years of consecutive losses have been compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chau, for one, is saddened by talk that Ocean Park might be no more one day. "I will definitely miss this place," he said.

More : Can Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland survive the coronavirus?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* 'Ocean Park to aid Jumbo restaurant's rebirth' *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Nov 25, 2020

Chief Executive Carrie Lam revealed on Wednesday that the landmark Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen has recently been donated to Ocean Park, which is set to run it with non-governmental organisations as part of a wider government plan to revitalise the Southern District.

Lam said during her Policy Address that the government will help the theme park run the restaurant with NGOs on a non-profit-making basis.

She said this is one project under a wider "Invigorating Island South" initiative to promote the district, and includes the "rebirth of Ocean Park", with an emphasis on its strengths in education and conservation.

More : 'Ocean Park to aid Jumbo restaurant's rebirth' - RTHK


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Hong Kong’s Ocean Park to slash operating expenses with new dining and entertainment zone, individual charges for some attractions * 
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Jan 18, 2021

Hong Kong’s embattled Ocean Park, which is set to seek fresh government funding to stay afloat, plans to revamp its business model by charging fees for individual attractions and offering free access to a retail, dining and entertainment zone, sources say.

The overhaul will also see the 44-year-old park position itself as a platform for outsourced entertainment, with more than half of its near 1 million sq ft of space to be offered to various service providers, according to one source.

Its new HK$4 billion (US$516 million) all-weather mega water park, which is expected to be ready for use around August, will charge users separately, the source said.

More : Ocean Park revamp includes entertainment zone, individual attraction charges


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## 2mchris (Jun 18, 2016)

Sounds like a good plan for me. A free access area may attract those people who are not interested in all areas of the park but like to have entertainment. They will spend money there anyway for food, beverages and souvenirs. The visitors who are interested in special attractions can pay for those they are selected. Maybe as well a possibility to find out, which installation are even if they are old are still interesting and which are not attractive.

And the separate fee for the water park is just logical. It is not directly connected to the park (or is it planned to uild a tunnel connection or another cable car?
With the bus connection (29) to Wong Chuk Hang is´t is an attraction by its own, I think. Of course: the capacity of the bus connection must be checked and increased after opening.


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