Photos of Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto

I had been waiting for such a long time to go to Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto, and when I finally got there I was not disappointed.  I felt like I was in a different world.  In a way I guess I was...the aquatic animal world.  To start off the aquarium featured several aquatic including a walk-through tank.  The aquarium has 5.7 million litres (1.5 million gallons) of marine and freshwater habitats from across the world.  The exhibits hold 13,500 exotic sea and freshwater specimens from more than 450 species.  And I thought the 33 gallon aquarium tank that I had a few years back was big.  There are so many different and beautiful sea creatures and an assortment of programs.  They offer Field Trips, Educational Programs, Stingray Experience, Sleep with the Sharks and more.  It is definitely not something that you can do in a day and it can get a little costly, but I think well worth it.  One of the things that I thought was out-of-this-world was touching and stroking a stingray. They feel soft and slippery, but they seem so friendly and cute. I have to say, one thing that I found irritating was all the pushy and rude people. To be fair I did go on a Friday.  So in a way I did ask for a lot of people to be there.  Next time I go I will go at the least busiest time.  I did manage to get a few decent pictures and videos when people weren't pushing or shoving me around. One thing to remember when you are taking pictures at Ripley's Aquarium, do not use your flash.  Using your flash when taking a picture can result in glaring, uneven colour tones, and unusual shadows.  Also, because of the glare from the glass try taking your picture from an angle and not straight on. If you go when it's not so busy you will probably get much better pictures.  
As I slowly took in the view of these amazing creatures I started to feel a little off.  I started thinking that these aquatic animals were not in their own habitat.  Oh! Sure they were in a huge Aquarium.  The biggest that I'd have ever seen, but not as big as their home, the ocean.  So here I was on one end in awe of this place and these beautiful creatures and on the other end of the spectrum I felt sad and guilty.  I guess guilty because I was contributing to them being in this gigantic aquarium. I finally learned a few things which made me realize that some of these animals are going instinct and this place is doing more good than harm. I found out a lot of good and important things that this place is doing for our fish friends.  It's still not their home, the ocean, but with the environment the way it is today maybe this is better for them.  I am still of two minds about the whole thing, but for now I will remember the experience they left me with.  And with that thought I'd like to share with you some photos I took of these magnificent creatures. Just click away on the link below. This is Li, with my two cents worth!

Photos of Ripley's Aquarium