RESCUED GREEN SEA TURTLES FINDS NEW HOME IN MICHIGAN AQUARIUM

Metro Detroit's SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium celebrated its second anniversary at Great Lakes Crossing Outlet Mall by welcoming a new resident to its 120,000 gallon ocean tank -- Carr the Green Sea Turtle.  The 85 pound turtle was severely injured after being hit by a boat but Grumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Florida, rescued Carr and nursed him back to health.  Unfortunately, due to floatation issues caused by his injuries, Carr is non-releasable; which means he will never be able to survive again in the wild.  So SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium is taking him in where he'll join another rescued turtle, Benson, living at the facility.

My kids and I were at SEA LIFE Michigan to welcome Benson to his new home back in 2015 (click here to read that post) and had a chance to see the green sea turtle up close as he was introduced to the aquarium's ocean tank.  Both turtles received round-the-clock care and monitoring from a veterinarian team in a special med pool for the week before being released into the ocean tank and during that time also learned SEA LIFE Michigan's target training feeding technique to help orientate them to their new home.  Benson has taken really well to living in the Great Lakes State and now he'll have a friend to share the space with in Carr.

SEA LIFE has devoted itself to hosting and providing care for non-releasable rescued green sea turtles based upon the endangered state of the species.  Only 1,000 - 10,000 of this species' hatchlings born each year actually survive to adulthood, according to the Sea Turtle Conservancy.  In addition to danger presented by predators in the ocean, green sea turtles are also threatened by human activities such as loss of habitat to development, commercial fishing, pollution, and being hit by boat traffic which is what injured both Benson and Carr.  Caring for these two rescued turtles is part of SEA LIFE'S Breed, Rescue and Protect program which enhances the value of the aquarium as an entertainment attraction by having it also support marine wildlife educational outreach and conservancy efforts.

TICKET GIVEAWAY

Would you like to welcome Carr to his new home in Michigan?  A Geek Daddy has a four pack of tickets to SEA LIFE Michigan to giveaway.  Visit SEA LIFE Michigan's website then email thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com sharing with us which of the 250 species of sea life creatures you are most excited to see at the Detroit area aquarium.  Also please include your full name and mailing address.  One lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive the ticket prize pack.  To participate in the giveaway you must be a Michigan resident over the age of 18 years old. Entries must be received by February 3, 2017 @ 11:59 pm ET.

SEA LIFE Michigan is one of 8 aquariums operated within the United States by MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS.  All together, Merlin operates 25 attractions and 2 hotels in the United States including LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan (also located at Great Lakes Crossing), plus LEGOLAND Resorts in Florida and California, and six Madame Tussauds celebrity wax attractions.

For more information about the aquarium go to visitsealife.com/michigan

 A Geek Daddy has not been financially compensated for this endorsement or hosting the giveaway but was provided the same items being provided as a prize for personal use. The prize is provided by SEA LIFE MICHIGAN and A Geek Daddy is hosting the promotion as a benefit to our readers. Must be a Michigan resident over the age of 18 to participate.  One entry per person and winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries.  By participating in this promotion you waive any liability of any kind against the publisher of this blog. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. No P.O. Boxes allowed for delivery of the prize. SEA LIFE MICHIGAN  will be responsible for shipping the prize to the selected winner.  Emails will only be utilized for notifying winner and will be deleted at the conclusion of the promotion.  Each email will be designated a number based upon when it is received and a winning number will be randomly selected to determine the winner. Entries must be received by February 3, 2017 @ 11:59 pm ET.

Welcome to Michigan BENSON the Sea Turtle

My kids and I were invited to welcome Benson the Sea Turtle to his new home at the Sea Life Michigan aquarium in Auburn Hills' Great Lakes Crossing Mall.  Benson was rescued in 2014 at Anastasia State Park in Florida after having been hit by a boat, which caused an injury called a caudal carapace fracture and induced a hypothermic reaction called cold-stunning.  He was treated for his injuries by the Georgia Sea Turtle Hospital in Jekyll Island, Georgia.  Unfortunately, the injuries the turtle sustained won't heal enough for him to be able to survive if released back into the wild. So Benson has been adopted by Sea Life Michigan and this ocean dwelling creature will now have a new home in the Great Lakes State.

Benson spent a week in a special med pool at the aquarium adapting to his new environment and getting a checkup by the staff at Sea Life Michigan prior to his big introduction.  Our family was invited to come out to give Benson a warm welcome and witness as the turtle was introduced to his new home, a 120,000 gallon ocean tank.

Notice the black square on his shell? That pad needs to be permanently affixed to his shell to bind its crack and provide buoyancy when Benson dives and swims making him non-returnable to his natural habitat and in need of Sea Life Michigan's long-term care at the aquarium.

Prior to opening the gate from the med pool to the ocean tank, Benson was weighed and measured.

A representative from Kroger was on hand announcing that the grocery store chain was pledging to sponsor Benson's food tab.  Benson's diet consists mostly of fresh produce such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, lettuce, and peppers, which will be donated to the aquarium by Kroger.

 The kids all cheered as Benson was released into the ocean tank!

Benson the Sea Turtle appeared very happy with his new home in Michigan as he swam around exploring his new surroundings in Sea Life Michigan's ocean tank which is also filled with sting rays, sharks, and a variety of fish.

After we watched Benson dive into his new home, the kids and I were also provided an opportunity to walk around the aquarium before it opened to the public.  Wow! was it a treat to have the place pretty much to ourselves.

The aquarium has a nice display area focused on turtles, and with that being the theme of the day, we spent quite a bit of time exploring there finding out all about Benson's relatives.

A nice touch in the layout of this aquarium is that it has lots of nooks and crannies where kids can get close up views of the sea creatures on display from a variety of perspectives.

Other kid friendly aspects of Sea Life Michigan include a touch tank (filled with a variety of starfish, shrimp, sea urchins and other creatures kids can pet and touch and dedicated staff working the exhibit providing interesting tips and facts while encouraging everyone in the audience to participate) and a waste level observation tank filled with black tip reef sharks and cownose stingrays which gives you a great up close view of the fish swimming around.

It was a memorable morning of the kids playing hooky from school and their dad skipping work for a few hours.  Then it was back to school for them and the job for me, but when I picked them up from class at the end of the day their teacher remarked to me how excited they were to tell everyone about their adventure.  Sometimes it is nice to just put everything aside and spend some quality time with your children because the time does fly by.  I can hardly believe they will be wrapping up Kindergarten in just two weeks but am looking forward to all the future adventures and road trips to come.

Welcome to Michigan, BENSON the Sea Turtle! My kids are really looking forward to swinging by the aquarium to see you again.

For more information about the aquarium: visitsealife.com/michigan

Sea Creatures are coming to the Great Lakes

We took a back-to-school shopping trip recently to Great Lakes Crossing Outlet Mall and I noticed an area under construction near the Rain Forest Cafe restaurant.  The space being worked on had a sign posted in front of it saying "Coming Soon: SEA LIFE Michigan."  I was excited to find out that this new addition to Great Lakes Crossing will be a 35,000-square-foot indoor aquarium featuring a wide array of aquatic life for visitors to enjoy observing.

Photo from SEA LIFE Arizona

SEA LIFE Michigan will be bringing ocean creatures to the Great Lakes with this brand new aquatic center located in Auburn Hills, Michigan (a half hour drive north of downtown Detroit on Interstate 75) when it opens in the Spring of 2015.  Visitors will have face-to-face access to 5,000 sea creatures from a diverse 250 species in interactive, engaging themed environments.  Also based upon its unique location within the Great Lakes State, this new aquarium will feature a custom designed Fresh Water exhibit area showcasing creatures native to Michigan's waterways.

Photo from SEA LIFE Arizona

The highlight of a visit to SEA LIFE Michigan will be its variety of displays showing creatures from the sea.  Themed exhibits will include Shark Shipwreck (A display featuring sharks, puffer fish, other tropical sea creatures), Coral Reef, Stingray Bay, and Seahorse Mangrove.  There will also be touchpools for hands on experiences, an ocean tank, a life-like harbor and other fun educational and entertaining features.

Photo from SEA LIFE Arizona

SEA LIFE Michigan is operated by UK-based Merlin Entertainments and will be the company's 7th SEA LIFE center within the United States.  In addition to entertaining visitors, the company also hopes people will take away an appreciation of sea creatures and understanding of the harmful impact humans can have on aquatic environments.  The SEA LIFE centers work to assist with conservation through its "Breed Rescue Protect" branding and programs.

Photo from SEA LIFE Arizona

Whether you live in the Metro Detroit area or are coming into town for a family visit, vacation or business trip, SEA LIFE Michigan looks to be a not to be missed experience coming to the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada.  Our family will absolutely be going when this new facility opens up in 2015!

Photo from SEA LIFE Arizona

For more information, visit: www.visitsealife.com/michigan

DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy Blog received a press release and photographs from SEA LIFE Michigan promoting the opening of this new aquarium utilized in this blog post.