For nearly five decades, visitors to the Birmingham Zoo have enjoyed watching California sea lions splashing in their pool at the Sea Lion Habitat.

Sea lions Farley and Gio have been zoo favorites, entertaining families with their acrobatic antics.

The Birmingham Zoo announced today that the California sea lions, Farley and Giovanni (Gio), will be moved to the New England Aquarium in Boston later this spring. That will mark the permanent closure of the Zoo’s Sea Lion Habitat, which is in need of serious repairs and is no longer in compliance with best practices for sea lion care.

The zoo is working on a “sea lion” send-off that will be announced in the coming weeks, to give visitors a chance to say goodbye.

The Birmingham Zoo does not have any current plans to build a new sea lion habitat.

The Sea Lions are being moved in cooperation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the California Sea Lion Species Survival Plan.

Farley and Gio were born in 2008, and were rescued in 2009 by the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California.

The Birmingham Zoo joins other zoos and aquariums around the world in participating in species survival plans that manage animal populations in zoos and related facilities, including providing standards for care, health and well-being.

“While we are very sad to see them go, we are excited about this great opportunity for them,” said Birmingham Zoo General Curator Mollye Nardi.

Built in 1974 through generous donations from Parisian Stores and the Alabama Zoological Society, the California sea lion habitat is now out of date.

“Renovations to this habitat are not feasible and the only option would be to build a new facility which cannot happen soon enough to address the current issues,” said Birmingham Zoo Deputy Director Hollie Colahan.

“Our amazing staff cares deeply for these animals and has been dedicated to providing them with excellent care despite the many challenges posed by their outdated habitat,” said Scott Kayser, Zoological Manager of Predators.

Sea lions are social animals and live in colonies in the wild.

The New England Aquarium has a larger habitat and their own resident sea lions.

“When we reached out to the California Sea Lion SSP to place Gio and Farley, we hoped that they could stay together and go to a top-quality facility,” Colahan said. “We are thrilled that both of these requests were met, and they will be housed with other sea lions and cared for by an experienced team at another AZA-accredited facility.”

Colahan said sea lions are a favorite of not just guests but staff. “Sending them away is a difficult decision for us but we believe that every animal in the zoo deserves the best life possible, even when that life is somewhere else.”

Farley and Gio will be joining three female California sea lions at the New England Aquarium: 12-year-olds Sierra and Zoey and 10-year-old Tipper, all rescued animals who could not be released and were given a forever home in the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center.

“We are very excited for the addition of a male sea lion and an additional female sea lion,” said Kristen Van Oss, Curator of Pinnipeds and Penguins at the New England Aquarium. “Farley and Gio are at the perfect age to socialize with our resident sea lions, and we feel that this will not only be very enriching for all five of the animals but also align with our goal of providing the highest level of animal welfare for the animals in our care.”

Birmingham Zoo Staff are working very closely with the New England Aquarium to ensure a smooth and successful transition for Gio and Farley.

“It has been a pleasure collaborating with the team at the Birmingham Zoo and utilizing our experiences to set up for a safe transition and acclimation of the animals from their facility to ours,” Van Oss said.