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Aquarium_of_the_Americas Latitude and Longitude:

29°57′1″N 90°3′47″W / 29.95028°N 90.06306°W / 29.95028; -90.06306
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Audubon Aquarium
Audubon Aquarium seen from the Mississippi River
29°57′1″N 90°3′47″W / 29.95028°N 90.06306°W / 29.95028; -90.06306
Date openedSeptember 1, 1990
Location New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
No. of animals10,000
No. of species530
Memberships AZA [1]
Major exhibitsAmazon Rainforest, Caribbean Reef, Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River
Website audubonnatureinstitute.org/aquarium

Audubon Aquarium is an aquarium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. After a $41 million dollar renovation that would see the Audubon Insectarium merge with the facility, the aquarium reopened with new exhibits and experiences on June 8, 2023. [2] The Audubon Nature Institute runs the aquarium, and the institute also supervises the Audubon Zoo, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species (ACRES), Coastal Wildlife Network, Audubon Wilderness Park, and Audubon Park. The aquarium is located along the banks of the Mississippi River by the edge of the historic French Quarter off Canal Street, at the upper end of Woldenberg Park and originally opened on September 1, 1990. [3]

Exhibits

The aquarium specializes in aquatic life of the Americas. The exhibits feature regions throughout North and South America. With 10,000 animals representing 530 species, noteworthy exhibits include:

Katrina damage and aftermath

In 2005, the facilities were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Though the structure survived the initial hurricane and was on high ground above the subsequent flooding of most of the city, electricity outages continued and the backup power generators were unable to fully operate the sophisticated life support systems needed to keep the animals alive. Aquarium staffers were forced to evacuate the facility only to return four days later to discover that most of the 10,000 fish did not survive. [4] [5]

The aquarium reopened on May 26, 2006. Since Hurricane Katrina, more species have been in the Caribbean and jellyfish exhibits, and there has been a large revamp to the Gulf of Mexico tank simulating ocean life below an oil rig platform. [6]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
  2. ^ Boyd, Parker. "Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium reopen under one roof". Gray Television, Inc. FOX 8, WVUE.
  3. ^ "Audubon Aquarium and Audubon Insectarium Announce First Month Visitation Numbers". Renaissance Publishing. New Orleans Magazine.
  4. ^ "Katrina kills most fish in New Orleans aquarium". CNN. September 9, 2005. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  5. ^ "Aquarium animals to be airlifted out of New Orleans". CNN. September 12, 2005. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  6. ^ "Refilling the Aquarium". 2theadvocate.com. 14 May 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-29.[ dead link]

External links