Seal Bay Conservation Park
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Seal Bay Conservation Park South Australia |
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IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
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Australian sea lions on beach at Seal Bay Conservation Park
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 Seal Bay Conservation Park
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| Nearest town or city | Kingscote |
| Coordinates | 35°59′55″S 137°21′45″E / 35.99861°S 137.36250°ECoordinates: 35°59′55″S 137°21′45″E / 35.99861°S 137.36250°E |
| Established | 10 January 1967 |
| Area | 6,367 ha (15,730 acres) |
| Visitation | 101,595 (in 2014-15) |
| Managing authorities | Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources |
| Website | Seal Bay Conservation Park |
| See also | Protected areas of South Australia |
Seal Bay Conservation Park is a protected area located on the south coast of Kangaroo Island in the Australian state of South Australia. It is the home of the third largest Australian sea lion colony in Australia.
It is one of the most popular tourist destinations on Kangaroo Island. In order to protect the colony, visitors are only allowed on the beach by paying to go on a guided tour.
Seal Bay Conservation Park is located in South Australia on the south coast of Kangaroo Island about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of the municipal seat of Kingscote. It is located within the gazetted locality of Seal Bay.
The conservation park is part of a group of protected areas extending along the coastline from the east end of Vivonne Bay in the west to the southern end of D'Estrees Bay in the east. It occupies several parcels of land which are bounded to the north in part by the South Coast Road by the West Bay Road and by the coastline in the south. It also includes Nobby Islet.
A road named Seal Bay Road provides access to visitor facilities at Bales Beach in the east and overlooking the body of water known as Seal Bay in the west.
The conservation park is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area.
The sea lion population on Kangaroo Island had been exploited for economic purposes since the European colonisation. As sea lions were still being hunted as a source of shark bait post 1945, the Field Naturalists Section of the Royal Society of South Australia wrote to the South Australian Museum in 1953 requesting that sea lions be given protection along the southern coast of Kangaroo Island. The request was also supported by both the South Australian Ornithological Association and the fledgling tourism industry on Kangaroo Island. A recommendation was forwarded to the Department of Fisheries and Game for the proclamation of a sanctuary of 10 miles (16 kilometres) in length. A closed area for sea-lions extending from Nobby Islet to Cape Gantheaume was subsequently proclaimed under the Animals and Birds Protection Act 1946 at Seal Beach on 28 October 1954.
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Wikipedia