Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium — Attraction in Motobu

The aquariums were all very clean and the educational exhibits and preserved animals were very nice. However, all the stingrays in the big aquarium had their tails cut off. Some aquariums were so small even the fish looked bored and stressed. The manatee and turtle tanks were an absolute disgrace. There are swimming pools for humans bigger than those enclosures. One manatee was isolated in a tiny pool. The other three were in a plain concrete pool. There were about 20 turtles packed into one pool. And another pool with a diameter of maybe 7 feet with 4 turtles. Ironic how they are inches away from the ocean. The turtles looked very unhealthy, grey in color, and flakey skin. I’ve see wild turtles scuba diving, and they don’t look like that. These animals were clearly captured for these exhibits, not rehabilitation projects. I understand aquariums are a fun attraction for families, but the amount of toddlers and children screaming and using the aquarium as a jungle gym was unbearable. Strollers piled in every corner of the walkways, babies screaming, toddlers running around, children shoving people out of the way, pounding on the glass, and blocking entire exhibits. There needs to be an age restriction. If your child cannot quietly observe and learn about the animals, they have no business at an educational park. This is not a space for playing, running around, and screaming. Tickets with reserved entrance times to maintain crowds would be nice. The crowds and children could be tolerated, but keeping intelligent life in enclosures like that is shameful. This aquarium is clearly a place for entertainment without consideration for animal welfare, rather than an aquarium made for preservation of species and rehabilitation of hurt...

Incredibly sad to see such large sea animals in such tiny containers. This place should be shut down.

Keeping a manatee in captivity humanely requires a very large and specialized tank, as these marine mammals are big, active, and need plenty of space to swim, forage, and interact.

Minimum Tank Requirements for a Humane Manatee Habitat: Size & Volume • Absolute minimum: 600,000–1,000,000 gallons (~2.3–3.8 million liters) • Preferred: Over 1.5 million gallons for long-term care • Dimensions: At least 150 feet (45 meters) long, 60 feet (18 meters) wide, and 12–15 feet (3.6–4.5 meters) deep Water Quality & Filtration • Must have a massive filtration system to handle waste and maintain clean, oxygenated water • Temperature-controlled (72–78°F / 22–26°C) since manatees are sensitive to cold • Brackish or freshwater depending on the species Space for Movement & Socialization • Manatees are highly social and should not be kept alone • They require enough space to swim and dive freely Naturalistic Features • Vegetation and feeding areas (manatees consume ~100 lbs of vegetation per day) • Resting areas and shaded spots

Best Practices • Manatees should only be kept in captivity for rehabilitation, research, or conservation purposes. • They should not be kept as pets, as they require massive enclosures and expert veterinary care. • Ideally, they should be in large outdoor lagoons or semi-natural enclosures, not just artificial tanks.

Examples of Proper Facilities • SeaWorld Orlando, Cincinnati Zoo, and Miami Seaquarium have manatee rescue and rehabilitation tanks that meet these standards. • The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium has one of the best manatee care facilities, with a...

This is one of the most well-maintained, diverse, and educational aquarium that i’ve been to. There are not as many tight enclosures, some even with direct sunlight over the tanks, which allows a lot of freedom of movement by the animals. This presents the sea animals in their natural form and is enjoyable to see.

Janta— the whale shark, and unquestionably the highlight of this experience, was amazing. The educational content about their growth, habitat, rescue, reproduction and etc further adds to the experience and brings you closer to these magnificent creatures.

The only unpleasant thing was the overwhelming crowd that surrounded basically every exhibit. It took notable time in even the smallest windows to read the descriptions and see the animals. Many people, especially those with kids (which is understandable) would hover, take videos and basically stand in front of the exhibit for extensive periods of time. This made it difficult at times to appreciate the exhibits for what they are, because of the ambience, noise and crowd making it difficult to concentrate on what’s in front.

Outside the aquarium there are many more exhibits to see manatees, turtles and more. These will unquestionably be less air-conditioned, but that also means they will be much less crowded, with more opportunities to actually find and appreciate these animals. Definitely go...