Marine Kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Marine Kingdom | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg) .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) Various exhibits at Marine Kingdom | |
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| 12°54′44″N 80°15′03″E / 12.9123°N 80.2508°E / 12.9123; 80.2508 | |
| Date opened | 2019 |
| Location | Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Land area | 7,500 m2 (81,000 sq ft) |
| No. of species | 200 |
| Major exhibits | 35 |
| Website | vgpmarinekingdom |
Marine Kingdom is an aquarium located along the East Coast Road in Chennai, India. It was opened for public in 2019. It is owned and operated by the VGP Group. The aquarium hosts the largest underwater walk-through tunnel in India.
Exhibits
The aquarium showcases 35 exhibit organised across five zones: rainforest, gorge, mangrove, coastal, and deep ocean.[1][2][4] There are more than 200 species including various fishes, and other aquatic animals such as lobsters.[5] Fishes on display include stingray, cichlids, blue tang, neon tetra, discus fish, marble angel fish, scat, razorfish, black ghost knifefish, butterfly fish, batfish, trevally, lemon shark, and other Indian freshwater fish.[6][7] Apart from India, the fishes were sourced from other countries like Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.[8] Some of the exhibits are displayed in 360 degree viewable tanks.[6]
The aquarium has a 70 m (230 ft) long and 6.5 m (21 ft) deep underwater walk-through tunnel, which was the first of its kind in India.[2][3][8] It was constructed by Turkish firm Polin aquariums using acrylic glass imported from Germany.[1][7] There is an underwater mermaid show operational in the aquarium since 2019.[5] The aquarium also unveiled a 7 ft (2.1 m) high underwater golu consisting of 50 dolls for Navaratri in 2022.[9][10]
Other facilities and future plans
The aquarium has a food court and a souvenir shop adjacent to it.[2][3] There is an educational lab, aimed at creating awareness on wildlife conservation to students.[1] A virtual tour was introduced in late 2019.[4]
The aquarium has unveiled plans to add more exhibits such as dolphins,[7] and other facilities such as scuba diving, an underwater restaurant, and luxury suites.[2] It faced issues with funds for further expansion due to COVID-19 induced closure in 2020.[11]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "VGP brings exotic marine life on land". The New Indian Express. 23 April 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Underwater Tunnel, VGP Marine Kingdom becomes largest walk-through aquarium in India". ANI News. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- 1 2 3 "Underwater runnel becomes largest walk through aquarium in India". Business Standard. 15 September 2021. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- 1 2 3 "A virtual tour with marine friends". The New Indian Express. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- 1 2 "Swimming with mermaids at VGP Marine Kingdom". The New Indian Express. 22 December 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- 1 2 "Say hello to sharks, stingrays and eels at Chennai's 70,000 square feet aquarium". The Hindu. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- 1 2 3 "VGP Marine Kingdom: India's first major public aquarium opens". Blooloop. 17 July 2019. Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- 1 2 "Underwater tunnel unveiled at VGP Marine Kingdom on Sunday". The Times of India. 22 April 2019. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ↑ "Chennai aquarium sets up underwater 'kolu' for Navratri". The New Indian Express. 29 September 2022. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ↑ "In Chennai, kolu goes under water". The Hindu. 29 September 2022. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ↑ "Chennai-based marine aquarium seeks support to stay afloat". The Hindu. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
