Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 30, 1988)
everyth as e befor t I lv bindinJ 'hJ your* 1 'ouaiidl ‘‘“ttopuij • on re ^ I ‘gn aleasff Wednesday, March 30, 1988/The BattalioaTage 7 sea World prepares for opening ^bf marine-life park in San Antonio Humates i or four- ngs to, id. ii mind i • include J lending \ ^iiess, sliej ngs may * len you b -ctrianbi le never r op intot cl. By Elisa Hutchins Staff Writer I Kandu the killer whale has [plashed down at what’s being called lie largest marine-life park in the [ount.'v as Sea World of Texas gets [eady for its scheduled opening pril 15 in San Antonio. Locally, the Bryan-College Station hamber of Commerce is receiving tveral calls asking for more infor- lation on the park. “We’re getting three to four ihone calls a week to find out about a World,” Chamber of Commerce [fficial Kim Autrey said. ‘There is n interest in the park locally, but I laven’tseen that much media cover- ;e.” Sea World officials ar e banking on It least 70 percent to 80 percent of (heir first year business coming from exas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, leoige Stalle, manager ol public re lations at Sea World, said. “Not only is Sea World an enter- linment park,” Stalle said, “but we re also an educational outlet on sea |fe and conservation. “Over three million childr en have assed through the three other yikv It s like a huge classroom -here kids can get hands-on knowl edge of mar ine life “Right now oui main concern is to Jet the park open. But when the has been operating lor a while, ilahs could be made to set up a Sea iVorld Institute for research in Tex- Stalle said this effort could involve )ther research programs, such as rniversity-sponsored marine re- jearth programs, quite possibly in- luding T exas A&M. Sea World at San Diego helped to [stablish ihe Hubbs Research Insti- ute Center, a 25-year-old non profit, independent facility that has hspired serveral joint efforts be- ween the park, San Diego State and s that if^eUniversity of San Diego. Don Kent director ol Hubbs, said he facility currently is working on a proposal for Sea World of Texas on he different research interests in Texas. He said if a research institute is es- ablished, it also will be independent >f the park, and Sea World’s ad vanced facilities and equipment :ould aid researchers in the state greatly. “I anticipate quite a few possibili ties for research,” Kent said. “One irea is the endangered species of sea turtles. Photo by Jay Jaimer An endangered Kemp ridley turtle gets weighed as part of A&M’s efforts to save the population from extinction. - Edu. idge s n naliciou: teachc: unfair who reps third-pi for allegti! vas order; ■adicr’s Itj out $1,31 e John Mi etty Phi in her yet unfoundi Tier San complu with n -den ;ourt dean 'or malid I) backinj mstoapff civil la* Ibi the JS it a 'fev 1 imk ■•wit contpb no arc® h-tech ® tgenda. iTiey s 0111 ; tliOD ha |l! use hath =, first ti® urely 11 nee nun humor “That could be a popular pro gram in Texas and something that ould get the institute or any joint ef- brts in motion. It would be some- hing that is identifiable with Texas.” Kent said A&M researchers have lone extensive work specifically with he Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, an en- iangered turtle species found in Texas. He said the possibilities are very good for collaborative work. But both Kent and Stalle said tins is in the future and that the main problem now is to get the par k open. The T exas Sea World will open in tcity that is already the tourist capi- alof the state — San Antonio. The $140 million marine park will over 250 acres in northwest San Antonio it will have 20 educational exhib its and six different attractions such is dolphin and killer-whale shows. Stalle said no expenses have been ipared in publicizing the opening of he fourth Sea World park in the Sea World may help A&M marine research By Elisa Hutchins Staff Writer Sea World of Texas could boost the state’s economy by as much as $ 1 billion a year while enhancing ma rine research at Texas colleges and universities and Texas A&M could be one of the schools involved, said Don Kent, director of the Sea World/Hubbs Research Institute Center in San Diego. “If I was in Texas, I would be very excited about the research possibli- ties that Sea World and a center could offer marine researchers,” Kent said. Hubbs is a non-profit and inde pendent center from Sea World, but they have a close relationship. Kent said the center is working on a pro posal concerning Texas research in terests that will be sent to Sea World of Texas in a few weeks. “T he center performs research and informs the scientific public as well as the general public. Kent said. “But out biggest strong point is that we can carry out long-term ex periments. And while it is still up in the air as to whether Texas will have such a center, it will pi obably be modeled aftei ours.” He said the 27 researchers at Sea World/Hubbs are professors at or have very strong ties with the univer sity community. Thane Wibbles, a research assis tant who is working at A&M with Dr. David Ow'ens in his study of Kemp ridley turtles (an endangered species of sea turtles found in Texas), said that Sea World/Hubbs already has contacted Owens by letter and estab lished some ties. “A&M is probably one of only two schools in the world that is conduct ing research on hormonal and re productive behaviors of the Kemp’s ridley right now^,” Wibbles said. “Sea World will have Kemp’s ndleys at their park, and they wanted to get the lines of communication open.” He said a lot is still unknown about the Kemp s ridley but it can weigh up to 100 pounds. Females can take up to 50 years to mature. Wibbles said Owens and his assis tants are doing secondary research on the turtles with monies from Sea Grant. Sea Grant designates federal, state and donated funds to universi ties. Texas A&M is in the grant pro gram. Thomas Bright, director of the Sea Grant program at A&M, said the grant enables schools to carry out re search and enhances conservation efforts. A&M received about $3.5 million from the grant for this fiscal year and earmarked $100,000 for the Kemp’s ridley research project “We welcome any additional funding or help from Sea World or any other research body. Tic said “The Kemp ridleys sole nesting site is on the (hilt of Mexico tabout 100 miles south of Brownsville). T here used to be thousands of turtles in the 1940s, but now there are only about 500 known breeding females.” Bright said there h^is been a con certed effort between Mexico, the Lhiited States, Sea Grant, National Marine Services and Texas Park Services to rebuild the population. T he program started 10 years ago and is headquatered in Galveston. Wibbles said researchers at “Head Start,” one such program to bolster the population, gather eggs from the Mexican breeding site and bring them to South Padre Island to hatch. They allow them to hatch in their environment and take the hatchlings to Galveston, where they are nur tured for a year. ' The turtles are let go on a stretch of the South Padre beaches in the hopes that the females will return to the same site to lay their eggs. “The effects of this program will not be determined for a few more years because it takes turtles 8 to 15 years to mature,” he said. “Our re search is’secondary to this in that we study the turtle’s reproductive proc esses by conducting hormonal and behavioral research.” He said that “£iead Start” has been good for the turtle population but that the population is not bounc ing back as fast as was expected. “In order for conservation efforts to be successful, we have to try to an swer the question of how sea turtles behave and how they reproduce,” Wibbles said. He said there has been some in terest in captive breeding facilities like the farms in the Cayman Islands and that Sea World possibly could provide some assistance. Some researchers said the large numbers of turtles that once inhab ited the Gull of Mexico have all but vanished due to fishing expansion along the coast where factories used to slaughter the turtles and ship the meat to other cities. Wibbles said that Texas shrimp ing boats also have contributed to the decline. “Shrimping boats are trapping these t urtles in their nets that are on the ocean bottom,” he said. “The turtle is a mammal and needs to breathe. When one is trapped on the bottom, it drowns. And even though a shrimper may trap only one turtle in five years, the population is so low now that even one turtle is too high.” He said that laws have been passed requiring shrimping boats to use TEDS — turtle excluder devices — that provide a trap door for the trapped turtle to escape from once it is caught in the net. These efforts slowly are bringing back the turtle population in Texas and Kent of Sea World/Hubbs said it is this type of research that will pro vide the backdrop for Sea World’s resources. Dr. James Mathewson, director for the center for marine studies at San Diego State University, said that Sea World provides them with equipment, vessels and laboratories that the school would not be able to afford otherwise. “We get back 10 times what we put into it,” he said. “We pay $40,000 a year to belong to this pro gram and get back at least $400,000 worth of services. We would not be able to do the work we’re doing if it weren’t for Sea World’s resources.” the Rep a)Uli!! v The others are located in Califor nia, Florida and Ohio. The park is spending more than $5 million in advertising and is re ceiving $30 million in free promotio nal advertising from companies such as Pepsi and Kodak. These compa nies will be selling their products at Sea World. Sales offices have been established in Chicago, Dallas and Houston. Representatives also are out promot ing the new park in Europe, Mexico, Canada and Central America. Stalle said that two specially equipped buses have been criss crossing the country promoting the latest addition to the Sea World fam ily. One of the buses came through Bryan-College Station on March 17 to drop off information and get peo ple interested in the San Antonio park. Sea W’orld of Fexas chairman and former Sea World of San Diego president George Becker said, “We hope that news of the park will reach everyone in T exas by the time the park opens.” But Stalle said that the best public ity is coming from the media. News of the arrival of Kandu, a 7,000-pound killer whale, drew statewide attention from newspapers and television. Kandu arrived March 14 with 31 other sea animals aboard a 747 char ter jet at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio. The plane was coming from Sea World in San Diego. Kandu’s new home is Shamu Sta dium, a 7-million-gallon exhibit pool. Kandu joins Shamu, another female killer whale, and Namu, a male whale. “The modern-day Noah’s ark posed no problems for the mam mals,” Stalle said. “The animals have adapted quite well to their new envi ronment and we had no problems in transporting them.” Kandu’s companions on the flight included seven dolphins, nine har bor seals, five walruses and six sharks. Stalle said the flight was part of “Splash Down ’88,” a series of flights to bring all the creatures to the park. The completed park will contain the following attractions: ® Shamu Stadium, a 4,500-seat theater-in-the-round with a 264-foot diameter dome that is home to the killer whales. • Multi-species Stadium. It will house Pacific black whales and be luga whales in a similar exhibit pool. • Water Ski Lake. Professional skiers w ill perform tricks on a 12- acre lake. ® Reef Presentation. Aquatic life from tropical seas presented in four aquariums, including a 400,000-gal lon shark exhibit. • Whale and Dolphin Touching and Feeding Pool. Guests are en couraged to pet and feed dolphins and pilot whales. The park will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. We Service Imports Too! Auto Service 111 Royal Biyan across S. College from Tom’s BBQ 846-5344 This Ad is Good for $5 OFF any Service or Repair Not valid with any other coupon or discount expires 5-15-88 IMPORTED BEER SPECIAL ^, Wednesday 7-closing 18 Imported Beers on Special nearLuby's ^ jIh,, 846-2625 MEAT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SCIENCE $2.49 per lb. LAMB LEG ROASTS (4-7 lbs.) CURED & SMOKED HAMS BONE—IN (15-20 lbs) BONELESS (3-8 lbs.) $1.98 per lb. $3.29 per lb. Other Beef, Lamb, Pork, Sausage, Dairy products and Farm Fresh Eggs are available. Prices effective through April 3,1988. We are open for business Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We are located on the West Campus between the Kleberg Center and the Horticulture/Forest Sci ence Building. (Phone 845-5651). UFA University Pediatric Association 1328 Memorial Dr. • Bryan Full Range ol Medical Service for College Students including Gynecological Services (Dr Kathleen Rollins) Call for appointment 776-4440 7 a.m.-7 p.m. extended hours for illnesses only William S. Conkling, M. D.,F.A.A.P. Kenneth E. Matthews, M.D.,F.A.A.P. Jesse W. Parr, M.D.,F.A.A.P. Kathleen H. Rollins, M.D.,F.A.A.P. Robert H. Moore, M.D.,F.A.A.P. CASINO *88 A night of Las Vegas style gaming Parents weekend Friday, April 8 7:00 p.m. Tickets on sale: Rudder Box Office Commons Quad Sbisa MSC $4.50 pre-sale $5.00 at the door Coupon INTERNATIONAL HOUSE ^ FSiMXIS. RESTAURANT $2.99 Mon: Burgers & French Fries Tues: Buttermilk Pancakes Wed: Burgers St French Fries Thun Hot Dogs St French Fries Fri: CatHsh Nuggets St Fries Sat: French Toast Sun: Spaghetti & Meat Sauce ALL YOU CAN EAT $2" 6 p.m.-6 a.m. No take outs • must present this ad WM WM wm hi Hi ■■ H Expires 5/1/88 ■■mniHIHHa Rooty Tooty $2 49 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 sausage, 2 bacon good Mon.-Fri. Anytime ■ HR M MH.Ht Hi Hi Hi Hi HH Hi MH Hi HI HI H HI HI HH Hi Hi Hi International House of Pancakes Restaurant 103 S. College Skaggs Center