Get to know
Here at Polaria, you will find three different seal species. The bearded seals Bella, Mai San, and Vlad belong to a purely Arctic species. Bella and Mai San came to us from Svalbard in 2003, while Vlad arrived from the Océanopolis Aquarium in France in 2024. They are accompanied by the harbor seals Loffen and Lyra, who were born at Lofotakvariet in 2010, their son Leo, born here at Polaria in 2023, and the ringed seal Junior, who came to Polaria with Vlad.
At Polaria, we train the seals as part of their feeding routine. Trained animals benefit from greater stimulation under human care than untrained animals. The main purpose of the training is to stimulate the seals both mentally and physically, as well as to prepare them for veterinary procedures. This allows us to carry out health checks and ensure that the seals are healthy and in good condition.
When training the seals, we use a method known as positive reinforcement training. This means that we reward the seals with fish and praise when they perform the desired behaviour correctly. If they do not, we simply pause the interaction for a few seconds before trying again.
Bella is Polaria’s diva. She was born in May 2003 on Spitsbergen. She enjoys new challenges and can be very energetic, but she also knows what she wants and makes it very clear when she gets bored during training. You can recognise her by her large whiskers and grey-brown coat, with a large light-coloured patch in the middle of her back. Bella is a bearded seal.
Like Bella, Mai San was born on Spitsbergen in May 2003, but she is much more patient. She is eager to please, although she sometimes gets a little confused during training, which has earned her the nickname “Oops.” Mai San is also a bearded seal. You can recognise her by her large whiskers, pink rings around her eyes, white markings around her mouth and grey coat.
Vlad is the only male bearded seal at Polaria. He originally comes from Vladivostok, Russia, and was named after the city. However, he has spent most of his life at the Océanopolis aquarium in Brest, France. He moved to Polaria in autumn 2024 and now lives together with Bella and Mai San.
Leo was born on 19 July 2023 and is the first seal pup ever born at Polaria! Lyra and Loffen are his proud parents, and he was born just one day after Loffen’s birthday.
Leo is fearless, curious and loves playing with visitors through the aquarium glass. His favourite toys are a surfboard and a lifebuoy, and he loves chasing jets of water! Leo has started training and is very motivated and eager to learn.
Lyra is Polaria’s little charmer and impossible not to love. She is gentle and careful, but becomes incredibly energetic during training. Even though she is much smaller than her two “aunts”, she makes the biggest splashes when she jumps.
Lyra was born on 10 July 2010 at the Lofoten Aquarium in Kabelvåg. You can recognise her by the light, star-shaped markings behind each ear. Lyra is a harbour seal.
Loffen is also a harbour seal and was born just one week after Lyra at the Lofoten Aquarium in Kabelvåg. He is trusting and confident, and very curious about his surroundings. Loffen loves training and quickly learns new exercises.
You can recognise Loffen by the many light-coloured spots covering his body and by the fact that he is slightly larger than Lyra.
Junior was born at Burgers’ Zoo in the Netherlands and moved to Océanopolis in France in 2014. In September 2024, he came to Polaria together with Vlad, and it didn’t take long for him to settle into his new forever home.
During his first few months at Polaria, Junior lived with the harbour seals in our outdoor pool. Here, he experienced snow for the first time in his life – and immediately started digging in it!
When you book a seal encounter, you’ll get to assist the trainer and get up close to the seals as they work, play and learn. You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes tour of the seal pools and an introduction to the different species we have at Polaria, while learning why training is so important for the seals’ health, stimulation and positive behaviour.
The seal encounter gives you a unique opportunity to observe one of our seals up close during a feeding session. You’ll learn about our training methods, how we build trust and cooperation with the animals, and why each training session is adapted to the individual seal’s needs.
Tilgjengelighet
Varighet
Inkludert
NB! Inngangsbilletter til Polaria er ikke inkludert, og må kjøpes separat.
Vi fôrer og trener selene kl 10:30 og 12:30 hver dag, og anbefaler deg å møte opp tidlig slik at du får sett selfôringen før du kommer inn og møter selene.
Beskrivelse
Få et nært møte med Storkobbene våre.
Dette er en unik sjanse til å komme tett på mens selene nyter sin favorittsnacks – isbiter.
Bli kjent med Bella og Mai San, våre to Storkobbejenter. Når trenerne har tatt fram isen, er du hjertelig velkommen til å observere, ta bilder og videoer, mens Bella og Mai San slurper i seg isen. Noen ganger hopper de opp på land for å spise, mens andre ganger foretrekker de å bli i vannet. Denne opplevelsen er et eksklusivt møte for maks 4 personer.
Ikke gå glipp av sjansen til å møte denne unike selarten!
Få fri tilgang til Polaria i 12 måneder og opplev Arktis så ofte du vil. Perfekt for både familier og lokale som vil besøke oss igjen og igjen.
Dette er inkludert: