Ocean Park Hong Kong

History and development

Planning and opening

Ocean Park was originally conceived as a marine life centre. The idea was first proposed on 3 March 1959 by J. D. Bromhall, chief scientific officer of the Fisheries Research Unit at the University of Hong Kong, who revealed a plan to develop in the city a super aquarium, called an "oceanarium". Bromhall explained the plan by referencing one of the world's two oceanariums at the time – the Marine Studios in Florida, which he described as a type of aquarium where "the species of fish are not separated" and "the conditions are as near as possible [to] those at the bottom of the sea".

In August 1967, the British Hong Kong government offered to provide a free land grant for the project. The site was located at Brick Hill in Aberdeen and occupied 69 hectares (170 acres). The grant cost about HK$4.28 million. In May 1971, it was announced that the oceanarium would come under the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which provided HK$150 million in funding.

During the oceanarium's planning stage in 1970–1971, it hired Kenneth S. Norris as lead consultant. At the time, Norris had previously served as curator for Marineland of the Pacific, and contributed to the conception of SeaWorld and Sea Life Park. He in turn hired Douglas "Ted" Hammond as a veterinarian, who would remain with Ocean Park for the next 15 years and become its curator. In efforts to collect dolphins for the oceanarium, Hammond and his team established satellite bases in the Philippines, Japan, and the Penghu Islands near western Taiwan.

In the Philippines from 1974 to 1975, the team attempted to capture spinners, Fraser's dolphins, and melon-headed whales in Cebu, but were ultimately unsuccessful as these sensitive pelagic species could not adapt to captivity. All of the captured individuals were eventually released back into the wild or died before they could be transported to Hong Kong.

Hammond and his team were more successful in Japan and the Penghu Islands, where they chose to procure dolphins from fishermen who engaged in dolphin drive hunting. Species collected as a result included the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, the Pacific bottlenose dolphin, the false killer whale, the pacific white-sided dolphin, and the short-finned pilot whale. This practice was used by the team from late 1974 to 1987. During this period, more than 90% of all cetaceans housed in Ocean Park were obtained in this way.

20th century

During the 20th century, Ocean Park drew criticism for the deaths of its marine mammals, particularly its cetaceans. Survival rates were especially poor from the 1970s to mid-1980s, which was later attributed to mismanagement, poor husbandry and veterinary practices, and natural causes.

During its preparatory stage in the 1970s, Ocean Park first experienced two major die-offs caused by outbreaks of infectious diseases. In 1974, the park received 20 Pacific bottlenose dolphins acquired from Izu Peninsula in Japan. However, 14 of them would die of erysipelas within four months. Following the outbreak, it became standard procedure in the park to immediately vaccinate new animals against the disease, though this practice was stopped almost a decade later around 1983, due to concerns about the vaccine's toxicity. No further issues with erysipelas have since been recorded at Ocean Park.

Soon after the erysipelas outbreak, melioidosis infections would also kill an additional 24 bottlenose dolphins, 4 pilot whales, and 5 harbour seals between 1975 and 1976. According to Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, the outbreak may have been intensified by Ocean Park's practice of burying dead dolphins near its coast. Yuen explains that bacteria in the corpses would wash into the sea after heavy rainfall, which would also lower the water's salinity and allow the bacteria to multiply. This contaminated seawater would then be drawn up for the park's animal tanks. The park would continue to be affected by melioidosis infections for the following decade, with the disease contributing to 73% of cetacean deaths in 1976–1978, and 57% in 1979–1983. However, some of these deaths may not have been completely due to melioidosis, as later examinations revealed that at least three of the dolphins that died also had other existing medical conditions.

A later report, published in 1994 in Asian Marine Biology, admitted that Ocean Park experienced "serious problems [that led to] poor survival" during the first 13–14 years of operations. Among the paper's authors was Stephen Leatherwood, then-veterinary and education director of the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation. The study reported on the survival rates of 139 cetaceans housed at Ocean Park from 1974 to 1994, of which only 32 remained by September 1996. The survivorship record for the park's 54 Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops gilli) was described as "very poor", with an annual survival rate of 24.5%. Apart from deaths related to erysipelas and melioidosis, food poisoning and gastritis were also responsible, causing 9 deaths. The report attributed these to "start-up problems", which it said "certainly bespeak a failure in husbandry and veterinary practices". However, it suggested that the species' innately poor adaptability to captivity was also involved, reporting that the park's 44 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) had a much higher annual survival rate of 82.8%, albeit still "below the industry average [of 93%]". The park's five short-finned pilot whales also suffered from poor survivability, with all of them dying within 10 weeks of their arrival back in July 1976.

21st century

Ocean Park had maintained an income surplus since its opening, until the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which resulted in four consecutive years of deficits totaling HK$204.1 million. The park briefly recovered in the 2001–2002 financial year, recording HK$15.3 million in profit and a 23% increase in attendance up to 3.4 million. However, it was soon severely impacted by the 2003 SARS outbreak in Hong Kong, which saw tourism numbers fall and locals stay home, resulting in a roughly 70% decrease in the park's attendance. Ocean Park was subsequently threatened with the possibility of closure, and also faced competition from the planned Hong Kong Disneyland in the coming years.

In response, businessman Allan Zeman was brought on as chairman in 2003 by the city's chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa. At the time, Zeman was known for leading the creation of the city's popular nightlife district, Lan Kwai Fong. With the challenges Ocean Park was facing, Zeman later recounted that he thought Tung was "out of his mind", but ultimately took the position following repeated pleas by Tung. Half of the park's board was also replaced. That same year, the Chinese government launched the Individual Visit Scheme, which brought an influx of mainland Chinese tourists to Hong Kong, allowing the park to rebound in the 2003–2004 financial year with profits of HK$95.7 million.

As Ocean Park sought to differentiate itself from the incoming Hong Kong Disneyland, the park re-envisioned its future as a world-class marine-themed park with focuses on animals and nature, and also emphasised its origins as Hong Kong's own home-grown entertainment brand. Zeman had earlier replaced the park's chief executive officer with Thomas Mehrmann, who held executive positions at Knott's Berry Farm, a theme park located only seven miles from Disneyland in California. In March 2005, the park unveiled a HK$5.55 billion (US$707 million) redevelopment plan, which would see the park's size increase from 30 ha (74 acres) to 43.8 ha (108 acres), the number of attractions double to more than 70, and an additional 33 animal species introduced. The park's Lowland area was to be redeveloped as Waterfront, with three themed attraction zones, respectively featuring an aquarium complex (Aqua City), a tropical aviary (Birds of Paradise), and a port-themed family area (Whiskers' Harbour). Meanwhile, Headland would be redeveloped as Summit, with four climate-themed attraction zones, named Marine World, Rainforest, Thrill Mountain, and Polar Adventure. Construction began in November 2006 and would take place in eight phases over the following six years.

Visitor growth

The park's expansion steadily grew visitor numbers to 7.6 million in 2014, making it the world's 13th most visited theme park, and one of the largest theme parks in Asia. From this high, visitor numbers declined to around six million in 2016 against the background of declining tourist arrivals in Hong Kong and competition from Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort in Zhuhai. In January 2017, the Ocean Park saw a 30% surge in visitors, credited to a new rapid transit line, big discounts and an early Lunar New Year holiday, but in 2019, lower numbers of mainland tourist arrivals, due to social unrest and continued competition from Chimelong, sunk attendance to 5.7 million.

Park layout and attractions

Ocean Park consists of two main attraction areas, the Waterfront and the Summit. They are separated by the Brick Hill, and thus are connected by a cable car system and by an underground funicular system. Together, the two areas are further subdivided into seven attraction zones, Amazing Asian Animals, Aqua City, Whiskers Harbour, Marine World, Polar Adventure, Thrill Mountain, and the Rainforest.

Internal transport

Ocean Park features a 1.5-kilometre (0.93 mi) long cable car system connecting the Waterfront and the Summit in an eight-minute journey, with the views of the South China Sea. It has a capacity of 4,000 passengers per hour with 252 cable cars on two pairs of ropeways. Each car can hold six passengers. The system is considered a signature of the park.

The Waterfront and Summit areas are also connected by the Ocean Express, a tunnel funicular system that opened on 9 September 2009. Two trains, one going uphill and one downhill, travel simultaneously in a 1.3-kilometre (0.81 mi) tunnel through Brick Hill at a maximum speed of 7 m/s (23 ft/s). Each train carries up to 250 passengers and has 40 seats. They are themed to resemble submarines, featuring dimmed lights and animations playing on ceiling panels to simulate an underwater environment. The Ocean Express was included in the park's 2005 redevelopment plan to supplement the cable car system, in preparation for future increases in the park's attendance. The system was built by Swiss company Garaventa, while the trains were made by Gangloff Switzerland.

Ocean Park also contains Hong Kong's second-longest outdoor escalator system, which connects attraction zones in the Summit area. Constructed in 1984, the system spans 220 m (720 ft) and is covered by a clear tunnel. It was previously the world's longest outdoor escalator system, until the completion of the Central–Mid-Levels escalators in October 1993.

The Summit

This area was formerly known as two distinct areas: Marine Land and Headlands Rides.

Pacific Pier – Mimics the rocky habitat of harbour seals and California sea lions on the Northern Californian coast.

Ocean Park tower

Sea Jelly Spectacular – Opened in 2006. Southeast Asia's first standalone sea jelly exhibit.

Flying Swing

Wild Twister – A Mondial Ventura

Crazy Galleon – A Huss Pirate ship

Ferris Wheel

Marine World Games Zone

Thrill Mountain was opened in December 2011 and occupies 222,800 sq ft (20,700 m2). The area is carnival-themed, and features five rides and six booth games.

Hair Raiser – A floorless rollercoaster built by B&M with four inversions.

Whirly Bird – A chair swing ride that soars 30 m (98 ft) into the air

Bumper Blaster – Bumper cars that can carry two in each car

Rev Booster – A spinner ride

The Flash – A swing ride that goes upside down, with a top speed of 60 km/h (37 mph), at a height of 22 m (72 ft) up into the air

Polar Adventure was opened on 13 July 2012. The area features the North Pole Encounter, South Pole Spectacular and Arctic Fox Den, as well as the Arctic Blast roller coaster.

The Waterfront

Aqua City was opened on 26 January 2011 and occupies around 200.000 square feet. It features:

Grand Aquarium – Inside the Grand Aquarium, visitors can get up close to some 5,000 fish from over 400 species, such as the scalloped hammerhead and reef manta ray. Strolling through the Reef Tunnel and Panoramic Ocean Gallery, visitors can see the world's largest viewing dome in an aquarium, at 5.5 metres in diameter, and a 13-metre acrylic viewing panel, one of the largest in the world. It also features the world's first and only 360° water screen show Symbio! and Hong Kong's only restaurant inside an aquarium.

Sea Life Carousel – Hong Kong's largest carousel, 15.1 metres across, with 61 carriers in 13 different designs inspired by endangered sea animals, holding up to 81 passengers.

Old Hong Kong – Offers an immersive experience of culture, history, and delicacies of Hong Kong between the 1950s and the 1970s. It features a replica of Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier's clock tower and its signature toll, a manually retrofitted heritage tramcar and rows of tong lau-style apartment buildings. Visitors can also try more than 70 types of local street food and beverage that evoke the flavour of old Hong Kong. The area also provides a wide array of classic booth games.

Waterfront Plaza – Features a lively carnival setting with a rotating mix of shows, magic and other acts performed by clowns, acrobats and jugglers. This area sets the backdrop for many of Ocean Park's festive events.

Giant Panda Adventure – A purpose-built habitat that houses 2 rare giant pandas - Ying Ying, and Le Le as well as red pandas. It also houses the critically endangered Chinese giant salamander.

Panda Village – displays Asian small-clawed otters and a variety of Asian bird life in a woodland setting.

Gator Marsh – A wetland setting, featuring endangered Chinese alligators from the Yangtze River.

Former attractions

Former attractions of Ocean Park include:

Atoll Reef. It was located in Marine Land (now Marine World). Closed in early 2011 after 34 years of operation, many of the animals were transferred to the new Grand Aquarium. It was converted into Shark Mystique, which houses several species of sharks.

Middle Kingdom. Opened in 1990, this area featured traditional Chinese culture and heritage along with buildings resembling traditional Chinese buildings. It closed in 2001, but the Middle Kingdom Restaurant was in operation until 2007.

The Bird Paradise area, located in Tai Sue Wan near Adventure Land, closed down in 2013. It contained The Aviaries and Flamingo Pond. Plans are underway to redevelop this area into Water World.

Space Wheel: A HUSS Enterprise. Formerly located in the Adventure Land section of the park.

Bungee Trampoline – A trampoline that allows visitors to jump really high while strapped in bungee harnesses. Formerly located in the Thrill Mountain section of the park.

Eagle – A HUSS Condor.

Mine Train (越礦飛車) – A steel "mine train" roller coaster perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking Aberdeen Harbour, closed on 31 August 2021.

Raging River (滑浪飛船) – A log flume-type water ride that took passengers through "tropical waterfalls", narrow ravines and finished by shooting them down a slide at almost 60 km/h, closed on 31 August 2021.

The Abyss – A turbo drop ride, closed on 31 August 2021.

Chinese Sturgeon :Aquarium – Yangtze River Exploration – The 3,500 square-metre freshwater aquarium housed Chinese sturgeons along with other native species of the Yangtze River, closed in 2019.

Animals

Ocean Park houses 6,515 animals as of 30 June 2023 (most of which being fish), down from the 12,344 animals during the same time in 2014.

The park has had success breeding rare shark species, the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, sea lions, seahorses, penguins, green anacondas, red-handed tamarins, pygmy marmosets, and several species of sea jellies. Endangered birds and butterflies have also been hatched and reared at Ocean Park.

Giant pandas

In 1999, a pair of giant pandas, a male named An An (安安) and a female called Jia Jia (佳佳), were given to Ocean Park by China to mark the 2nd anniversary of Hong Kong's 1997 handover from UK to China. The pair were given permanent homes in the "Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures" area.

In 2007, two more pandas were given to Hong Kong to mark the 10th anniversary of the city's handover. The pair of two-year-old pandas, a male called Le Le (樂樂) and a female named Ying Ying (盈盈), arrived at Ocean Park from the China Conservation and Research Centre in Wolong, Sichuan province. After quarantine, they made their first public appearance in the "Giant Panda Adventure" area on 1 July 2007. A new compound was prepared at the park to house them on their arrival.

On 28 July 2015, Jia Jia turned 37 years old and was subsequently recognised by the Guinness World Records as the oldest panda currently living in captivity and the oldest panda to ever live in captivity. The previous record was held by a male panda named Du Du, who was kept at Wuhan Zoo in China, and lived to 36 years and 11 months before dying in July 1999.

In October 2016, Jia Jia's health condition began to rapidly deteriorate, exhibiting weight loss and a lack of interest in food and fluids. The panda experienced age-related health deteriorations in previous years, and had high blood pressure, arthritis, and cataracts in both eyes. On 16 October 2016, having been found unable to walk, Jia Jia was euthanised to prevent suffering. She was aged 38 (about 114 years old in human years). The species' average life expectancy is below 20 years in the wild, but can be higher under human care.

On 21 July 2022, An An was euthanised following age-related health deteriorations. At the age of 35 (about 105 years old in human years), he was the world's oldest male giant panda in captivity. The panda had been withdrawn from public viewing two weeks prior due to health problems. He later also began to refuse solid food and became mostly inactive. The decision to euthanise was made by veterinarians from the park and the government's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, following consultation with the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda.

On 1 July 2024, it was announced that the Chinese government would gift a new pair of giant pandas to Ocean Park in the coming few months, to commemorate the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover. The park first revealed that it was in discussions of requesting two more pandas back in May 2023. The city's pro-Beijing party DAB had previously suggested naming the potential panda pair "Zhizhi" and "Xingxing", meaning 'stability' and 'prosperity' in Chinese respectively, to "symbolise Hong Kong's advance from stability to prosperity".

Dolphins

In May 2001, Ocean Park became the first in the world to successfully breed dolphins via artificial insemination. See § Artificial insemination.

In July 2009, Domino and Dumisa, two dolphins from Bayworld in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, arrived at Ocean Park. The dolphins, a father and daughter pair, were separated to ensure that they do not mate with each other. They formed part of Ocean Park's breeding programme.

As of January 2024, the park houses 19 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, following the death of its oldest male, Molly, at the age of 40.

Hoi Wai was a female orca that resided in Ocean Park between 1979 and 1997. Following her capture near Iceland in 1977, she was first kept at other theme parks, including the Dolfinarium Harderwijk in the Netherlands and the now-defunct Windsor Safari Park in Berkshire, England. Hoi Wai arrived in Hong Kong on 28 January 1979, at the age of four, following a 16-hour flight from the UK. Earlier that month, she had been kept at Clacton Pier in Clacton-on-Sea, England, but her tank was suddenly cracked by heavy waves on 1 January. She was immediately scrambled to safety by an Ocean Park supervisor that had been there to prepare for the transfer, and who requisitioned an open truck to transport her to another marine park over an eight-hour journey.

The orca was initially named "Suzy Wong" while at Windsor Safari Park, in reference to the Hong Kong love story The World of Suzie Wong written by British author Richard Mason. This name was met with opposition back in Hong Kong, so local television station TVB launched a public naming competition that resulted in the orca being renamed Hoi-wei (Chinese: 海威, later written Hoi Wai, lit. 'mighty of the ocean').

At Ocean Park, Hoi Wai was regarded as a star attraction and engaged in shows, where she performed ball-balancing tricks and dramatic leaps and dives. She enjoyed celebrity-like fame and made appearances on television shows and in movies. On 13 April 1989, she was joined by a male orca named Prince, who was also captured near Iceland, and had previously been held at Kamogawa Sea World in Japan. Prince died only three years later on 10 July 1991 of gastroenteritis and pneumonia, measuring 5 m (16 ft) in length. They produced no offspring. Hoi Wai died several years later on 21 April 1997, three days after she suddenly began to suffer from diarrhoea and bleeding, with later tests revealing it to be due to an infected wound in her intestines. She was 22 years old, weighed 1,700–1,800 kg (3,700–4,000 lb), and measured 5 m (16 ft) in length.

Chinese sturgeons

In 2008, to mark China's hosting of the Summer Olympics, Ocean Park was gifted five rare Chinese sturgeons (symbolising the five Olympic rings) by the Chinese government. The Chinese sturgeon is rarer than the giant panda, and is considered a national treasure of China. Two of the sturgeons were bred by the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute and three by the Beijing Aquarium.

The five sturgeons made their public debut on 20 June 2008. However, one of them died four days later, after being bitten by a barracuda. On 14 July 2008, it was announced that Hong Kong would receive another five sturgeons from the Chinese National Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Association in time for the Olympics opening ceremony on 8 August, to complement the four fish already in site. The park's management opted to house the new arrivals in its existing shark aquarium, thus removing its sharks from public viewing. A second sturgeon died from an infection on 12 December. A third one died from an injury and two more were found to be ill in January 2009. The two sick fish were returned to the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute for expert care.

In December 2019, Ocean Park returned to mainland China the last batch of six Chinese sturgeons.

Animal encounter programmes

Ocean Park runs a series of programmes called "Get Closer to the Animals" which offer supervised access to its resident animals, from swimming with dolphins to learning to be a panda keeper. Holders of a diving certificate can even enter the Grand Aquarium, while an overnight camp within its dome offers a drier way to view the underwater world. There are behind-the-scenes tours of many facilities, often including the chance to get close to animals such as penguins, seals and other polar animals.

Animal mascots

Ocean Park introduced a waving sailor sea lion named Whiskers (known as Wai Wai in Chinese) as its major mascot in 2000. Subsequent members of the Ocean Park 'family' include James Fin (a shark), Jewel (a butterfly/fairy), Swift (a dolphin), Chief (a parrot), Professor (a turtle), Later Gator (a Chinese alligator), Redd (a red panda), Goldie (a goldfish), Tux (a rockhopper penguin), and four giant pandas: An An, Jia Jia, Le Le and Ying Ying.

In 2015, the older mascots were replaced by a newer set of mascots known collectively as "Whiskers & Friends". The mascots are now depicted in a more simplistic style. Some of the older mascots such as Whiskers and Redd remain mostly unchanged. However, brand new mascots (which are mostly rebooted designs of older animal mascots) are introduced as well. These new mascots include Fluffi (an Arctic fox), Mark (a shark), Justin (a dolphin), Dougie (a rockhopper penguin) and Bao Bao (a giant panda). Though the older mascots are no longer acknowledged by the park itself, traces of them can still be spotted on numerous rides, attractions and objects around the park, with a few notable examples being the Arctic Blast roller coaster, the Flying Swing and the waste containers in Marine World.

Research and conservation

Ocean Park conducts education and research into animal conservation, including through the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong (OPCFHK), a fund that advocates, facilitates and participates in the conservation of wildlife and habitats, with an emphasis on Asia, through research and education. After the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, OPCFHK established a Giant Panda Base Rebuilding Fund and donated equipment to the affected nature reserves.

Ocean Park has created education programmes, such as the Ocean Park Academy (OPA), begun in 2004, through which the Park runs educational tours for schoolchildren and workshops for teachers from the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Every year, the Park offers over 35 core courses for around 46,000 students on six big topics: giant pandas and red pandas, dolphins and sea lions, birds, fishes, plants, and mechanical rides.

Animal rescue and shelter

Ocean Park works with the Hong Kong government's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) in animal conservation. The park provides shelter for fish, sea turtles, coral reefs, and other illegally imported or abandoned wild animals that were rescued or confiscated by the AFCD. From January 2000 to April 2023, the park returned more than 70 rescued sea turtles to the ocean after providing them with medical treatment. Through its Conservation Foundation, the park also handled and analysed more than 600 cetacean stranding cases with the AFCD from January 2006 to April 2023.

In 2013, Ocean Park adopted two Arctic foxes that had earlier been confiscated by the AFCD. The foxes were originally from mainland China and were added to the park's existing Arctic Fox Den. In August 2014, one of these two foxes, a female named Mochi, gave birth to a litter of six pups, including four females and two males. These were the first Arctic foxes to be born in Hong Kong.

In April 2018, Ocean Park adopted two Asian small-clawed otters that had been discovered in a smuggling case earlier in January. The park named the otters "Si" (時) and "Fun" (分), meaning 'hour' and 'minute' in Cantonese respectively. Fun later became pregnant, and the pair became parents to quadruplets in August. The offspring, three female and one male, were also given names associated with time – "Miu" (秒, 'second'), "Centi" (short for centisecond), "Milli" (short for millisecond), and "Mei" (微, 'micro', short for microsecond). As of May 2023, the pair has given birth to a total of 12 offspring and are a popular attraction at the park.

In April 2023, Ocean Park adopted a rare crocodile that had earlier been discovered by residents in Yuen Long. The female crocodile, then measuring 1.9 m (6.2 ft) in length and weighing 35 kg (77 lb), was likely illegally imported and kept as a pet nearby before ultimately escaping or being abandoned. It was later confirmed by DNA testing to be a hybrid of the Siamese crocodile and Cuban crocodile, and was estimated to be four to five years old in March 2024. Following an online poll featuring names suggested by the public, the crocodile was named "Passion" in English, short for passion fruit, whose Cantonese name (百香果) is pronounced like Pat Heung (八鄉), the area where it was found. The crocodile was also made an animal ambassador of the park. Since 16 March 2024, it has been exhibited in a purpose-built habitat named "Croco Land". The attraction is located at the park's entrance and does not require an admission ticket to view, a decision meant to "highlight the [p]ark's dedication to conservation education".

Artificial insemination

In May 2001, Ocean Park became the first in the world to successfully breed dolphins via artificial insemination, following a 12-year research project. Two calves, one male and one female, were delivered nine days apart by two pregnant bottlenose dolphins, 22-year-old Ada and 20-year-old Gina. The park originally inseminated four females in May 2000 using sperm from a 17-year-old male dolphin named Molly; two of them were ultimately successfully inseminated, also in a world's first feat.

Artificial insemination of dolphins is exceptionally difficult due to their highly unpredictable fertility cycles, with past attempts in the United States having failed. Ocean Park's success was made possible by new ultrasound scanning techniques, which ensured ideal insemination by allowing real-time monitoring of whether a dolphin was about to ovulate, with close to 100% accuracy.

According to Suzanne Gendron, the head of Ocean Park's zoological operations and education department, this breakthrough opened up the opportunity to carry out an in-vitro fertilisation programme on an international scale. This would reduce the need for aquariums to capture animals in the wild for breeding, which is done to maintain genetic diversity and avoid inbreeding among captive animals, which could create health problems. Inbreeding among dolphins in captivity is especially problematic as it quickly results in genetically weaker offspring. The park had previously been developing a sperm bank for dolphins.

The technique could also be used to help preserve endangered dolphin species. According to Gendron, it could be used on the rare Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (often referred to as the Chinese white dolphin), though there was not yet a need as the population was still large enough to support natural breeding. There were about 1,000 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in southern Chinese waters near the Pearl River Delta in 2001.

On 23 April 2023, Ocean Park became the first in the world to successfully breed the Javanese cownose ray (Rhinoptera javanica) via artificial insemination. The species is considered endangered according to the IUCN Red List. According to a senior veterinarian at the park, artificial reproduction techniques were considered as the park's cownose rays had poor success with reproduction and were sometimes born dead.

Criticism

Ocean Park has been criticised by wildlife advocates for certain practices including the wild capture of large sea animals, such as dolphins and orca, and the presentation of shows featuring such animals performing. Opponents have highlighted their views on international "Empty the Tanks" day – a non-violent multinational demonstration that aims to end the capture and sale of wild dolphins to marine parks, where the creatures are said to die younger and breed much less. There is concern for the psychological state of the mammals alongside their physiological needs. And the advocates say it sends the wrong message, not only to visitors but also to marine parks in mainland China, which, if they copied the Park's practices, could have a significant impact on wild populations.

Major annual events

Ocean Park hosts six major events throughout the year: an Kidsfest, Animal in High Definition Month, the Ocean Park Summer Splash, the Halloween Bash and Christmas and Chinese New Year celebrations.

Halloween Fest (Mid-September to Late October)

Since 2008, the Park has held a popular annual Halloween Bash through the month of October. Themes such as "Fear Formula" and "Haunted Hong Kong" provide modern twists on the traditional halloween rituals, including various attractions and activities.

Ocean Park Summer Splash (July–August)

The event is held each summer, with visitors partaking in various wet and wild thrills, including water games and water slides.

Christmas Sensation (December)

Christmas themed celebrations held from December to January every year.

Chinese New Year Fiesta (January/February)

Chinese New Year celebration events are held around January to February every year. The celebration usually features lantern displays, God of Fortune visits, lion and dragon dances. In 2013, the CNY Fiesta featured a 12-metre spinning lantern, as well as a traditional Chinese drum show.

Animal in High Definition Month (discontinued)

The Animal in High Definition Months enable visitors to encounter a variety of rare animals up close, with educational experts on hand to disseminate information about these creatures. The Animal in High Definition Month for 2010 had a reptile theme called, "Mighty Dragons". In 2012, the event let visitors explore Chinese national treasures, featuring the display of two Sichuan golden monkeys.

Incidents

On 5 December 2010, seven were injured on the park's Ocean Express railway when a train driver triggered the emergency braking system by mistake. This abruptly stopped both trains of the system, which carried 107 passengers total at the time. A 70-year-old man suffered facial injuries and was in critical condition. Each train carries up to 250 passengers and has 40 seats, which are not equipped with seat belts. This was the first incident involving the Ocean Express since its opening in September 2009. The Ocean Express was reopened on 16 December 2010, with flip covers installed over the brake switches and a 30% reduction in maximum speed, among other safety measures.

On 10 April 2014, a 50-year-old man on holiday from Hubei, China, fell to his death after sitting on a railing. He lost balance and fell 11 m (36 ft) down from the Summit area.

On 5 September 2016, a 3-year-old boy lost a toe after his left foot was trapped in the park's 220-metre (720 ft) escalator. The boy's pregnant mother was forced to drag him out after failing to stop the escalator, which was not equipped with emergency shut-off buttons or sensors in the middle as required by safety regulations updated in 2012. The boy was sent to Ruttonjee Hospital 49 minutes later and received treatment after another 30 minutes. He underwent four surgeries, which amputated one of his toes and artificially rejointed two other ones, and will require further surgery as he grows. The boy's family complained that the park's staff were slow to react to the incident, with one employee insisting that the boy be first assessed in a first-aid station located 500 m (1,600 ft) away, instead of calling emergency services immediately. Ocean Park offered HK$100,000 to the family, who claimed it was settlement as part of a confidentiality agreement. The family rejected the offer, seeking an investigation, a formal apology, and more compensation. The park denied that it had attempted to stop the family from disclosing the accident, saying that the money was emergency payment offered on an ex gratia basis (out of compassion and kindness, and without an admission of responsibility).

On 16 September 2017, a 21-year-old man died inside the park's Halloween attraction, "Buried Alive", where guests lie in a coffin until the bottom drops out, sending them down a slide. The man had accidentally entered a staff-only area, and was hit on the head by the coffin bottom. The man was sent to Ruttonjee Hospital and certified dead. Legislators and industry experts questioned why the dangerous restricted area was not locked and marked clearly with warning signage.

Access

Mass Transit Railway

Ocean Park station on the South Island line is located adjacent the main entrance of the park. The station opened on 28 December 2016 and connects Ocean Park directly to Hong Kong's MTR system, from Admiralty station.

Bus

The Citybus Ocean Park Express (Route 629)‍ used to provide departures from Central Piers to Ocean Park only. This route has since stopped its regular service due to a decline in passenger numbers.

Passengers may use any of the Aberdeen Tunnel bus routes and walk to the park from the Aberdeen Tunnel Toll Plaza bus stop.

Car

The venue is also accessible by taxi, private hire car or personal car. The park provides some car park spaces close to the main entrance, however, the car park can be busy during peak times. Road access is via Route 1 (Aberdeen Tunnel) from central and eastern districts of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, New Territories or Pok Fu Lam Road from western districts.