Air force helps to fly out seals

California sea lion Orion. Photo / Harper McLean

Five Marineland seals left Hawke's Bay in a Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules plane last night, in a "huge logistical exercise" to rehome them overseas.

California sea lions Dakota and Orion, New Zealand fur seals Iha and Ollie and sub-Antarctic fur seal Mako were last night led into crates, lifted by crane from the Marine Parade facility, driven by truck to Hawke's Bay Airport and flown to Auckland in an Airforce Hercules plane.

California sea lion Orion is led to his crate by Marineland keeper Regan Beckett.

A Napier City Council spokeswoman said the Air Force had stepped in as no commercial flights from Napier were large enough to take the animals' travelling crates and a road trip would have added several hours to the journey.

Joint Forces Headquarters New Zealand Wing Commander Peter Johnson said his crew was pleased to be involved in the "unusual move".

"This is an interesting and challenging load. It will give our loading teams something to think about so they're prepared for anything."

The seals, along with four keepers, will this morning leave the country bound for Australia on Air New Zealand commercial flights.

Iha is going to Melbourne Zoo, Ollie is going to Taronga Zoo, and the other three seals are headed for Sea World on the Gold Coast.

But Marineland's pools aren't empty just yet. Three fur seals, Molly, Mr Bo (short for Mr Bojangles) and Pania, will remain at the facility until March next year.

These seals could not travel in last night's shipment because Melbourne Zoo and Sea World won't have the capacity to quarantine them until the New Year.

The "huge logistical exercise" of moving the seals had been approved by the Ministry of Primary Industries. Last night's operation was co-ordinated by Mainfreight. The eight seals have all been under strict quarantine since August. After arriving in Australia they will also go through a quarantine period of 30 days before they can join the zoo populations.

The pools at Marineland will be emptied and the site tidied after the final fur seals leave next year. The attraction's grandstand will be preserved as part of a $5.7 million Marine Parade redevelopment which was given the go-ahead to move into its next design stage by a hearing committee this month.

Friends of Marineland secretary Sue Macdonald said the society was "very sad" to see the seals go. "We would have preferred them to stay where they've spent their whole life."

But Friends of Marineland would continue to advocate for a marine rescue, rehabilitation and rescue centre in Napier. " ... the regions need a point of difference and Marineland was our point of difference - it was why tourists came here."