Cárdenas World of the Seas
 Dolphin Aquarium, the largest outdoor aquarium at MuMa | |
| Location | Hotel Sector, Cárdenas, Nouvelle Alexandrie |
|---|---|
| Theme | Marine life |
| Opened | 1702 AN |
| Attendance | ~1.8 million (1730 AN) |
| Total rides | 12 |
| Roller coasters | 3 |
| Animals | ~1,600 |
| Species | ~85 |
Cárdenas World of the Seas (Alexandrian: Monde des Mers; Martino: Mundo de los Mares), nicknamed MuMa after its Martino name, is a marine animal theme park in the Hotel Sector of Cárdenas, the capital of Nouvelle Alexandrie, and the sister institution of the Cárdenas City Zoo. It is one of the largest marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and public aquariums on Micras.
The park combines live animal shows with educational and outreach programmes on marine issues, and hosts a major marine biology research programme.
History
MuMa was founded in 1702 AN by members of the Cárdenas City Zoo to give the capital a dedicated marine facility, with an emphasis on naturalistic enclosures, education, and animal welfare. From its opening the park paired its animal shows with themed rides, and it has since expanded several times with new enclosures and roller coasters. Following protests by animal-welfare activists, MuMa reworked its live animal shows in 1738 AN to move away from stunt performances in favour of demonstrations of natural behaviour. Among the voices pressing for change was Julian Zamorano, the former City Zoo director who had made animal welfare his cause as a federal Deputy. The park adopted a revised animal-welfare code in 1739 AN, the same year the federal government appointed biologist Silvia Divata as its Special Advisor for Biodiversity and Animal Welfare.
Attractions
Live entertainment and animal presentations
- Dolphin Aquarium: hosts daily educational shows highlighting the dolphin family. It also housed rescued pilot whales from 1710 AN until 1739 AN, when the park's last specimen died.
- Avian Aquarium: home to marine birds, including storks, pelicans, albatrosses, and cormorants, with daily presentations.
- Orca Aquarium: stages daily shows on the killer whale.
- Sea Lion and Otter Aquarium: houses sea lions, small-clawed otters, and walruses, with daily demonstrations.
- Shark Reef: runs daily educational shows on sharks.
- MuMa Rescue Center: cares for rescued animals, including seabirds and amphibians such as frogs and toads.
- Coral Sea: an indoor exhibit featuring sea turtles and manatees. It also houses the park's coral conservation programme, one of the largest on Micras.
- Alligator Habitat: a viewing habitat for alligator and crocodile species.
- Dolphin Cove and Nursery: a secluded habitat for mother dolphins and their calves.
- Flamingo Cove: a viewing habitat for flamingos.
- Jewels of the Sea Aquarium: an indoor aquarium featuring a wide variety of marine fish, crustaceans, and molluscs.
- Manta Aquarium: an indoor manta exhibit.
- Stingray Lagoon: an indoor exhibit housing several stingray species.
Roller coasters
- Legend of the Kraken: a floorless steel roller coaster themed to the legend of the Kraken sea monster, with seven inversions.
- Manta Ride: a steel flying roller coaster with four inversions, on which riders travel in a prone position.
- March of the Penguins: a launched steel roller coaster with dark-ride elements, featuring a pre-show section and two launches.
Rides
- Journey to the Sky: a 100 m tall rotating gyro tower, the tallest ride in the park.
- Wildwater River: a river rapids ride with waterfalls and interactive water cannons.
- Flamingo Ride: flamingo-themed paddle boats on a large artificial lake.
- Empire of Penguins: a trackless, motion-based dark ride themed around penguins and the polar regions.
- MuMa Train: a steam railway connecting various parts of the park, themed around aquatic animals and sea creatures.
Children's rides
- Flight of the Bumblebee: a bee-themed balloon race ride.
- Stork Drop: a stork-themed drop tower standing 40 m tall.
- Adventures of the Ocean Floor: a flat tugboat ride featuring marine animals.
- Ocean Carousel: a carousel themed to sea creatures, with marine mammals and fish.
Play areas
- Aquamariners Park: a children's water play area themed with marine animals.
- World of Wonders: an indoor children's play area themed around space and adventure.
Animal care and research
The park's enclosures are built as scaled reconstructions of natural habitats, filled with artificial seawater mixed and filtered on site. Since 1739 AN the park has acquired no animals from the wild; the collection is maintained through its rescue programme, breeding, and exchanges with the Cárdenas City Zoo and other accredited collections. The dolphin and orca pods are park-born, and older animals are retired from presentations to reserve pools away from the public areas.
A veterinary clinic with quarantine pools operates behind the Dolphin Cove, and pathology work is carried out with the veterinary hospital of the City Zoo's Centro de Conservación. The MuMa Rescue Center treats stranded and injured animals sent in from the coast and recovered along the River Antona, returning those fit for release to the wild; animals that cannot be released, such as the pilot whales taken in between 1710 AN and 1739 AN, remain in the park's care.
The park's marine biology research programme runs tagging and population studies in partnership with the University of Cárdenas, and the Coral Sea exhibit doubles as a propagation laboratory that has restocked reef fragments in the Federation's waters.
Statistics
- Animals housed: ~1,600 individuals
- Species represented: ~85 species
- Annual visitors: ~1.8 million (1730 AN)
- Staff employed: ~300, including educators and researchers
