Beloved Sea Lion Dies at Record Age of 35

Breezy at the Central Park Zoo ©WCS/Julie Maher

Central Park’s most famous sunbather passed away on April 26. Breezy, the 35-year-old sea lion, was beloved by zookeepers and visitors alike. She is believed to have been one of the oldest California sea lions at any zoo or aquarium in North America. Sea lions rarely live more than 30 years.

In 1972, the New York Aquarium offered Breezy a home after she was found in the wild. “She was feisty in her youth! She wasn’t the biggest sea lion in the exhibit, but she seemed to run the show,” said Martha Hiatt, the Aquarium’s Supervisor of Behavioral Husbandry.

In 1990, Breezy retired to the Central Park Zoo. She played a very special role there, serving as a foster mother to sea lions from the Central Park, Queens, and Bronx Zoos. During her lifetime, she took a generation of Wildlife Conservation Society sea lions under her flipper. Gentle and cooperative, she was also a model animal for new zookeepers learning the ropes.

Like many senior citizens, Breezy developed some health issues in her golden years, including failing eyesight and diminished mobility. But she continued to have a good life thanks to her devoted keepers and her own indomitable spirit. Breezy was humanely euthanized Wednesday after WCS staff and veterinarians agreed her escalating health problems compromised her quality of life.

“Breezy’s gentle nature and incredible spirit touched everyone she came into contact with,” said Yula Kapetanakos, Assistant Curator of the Central Park Zoo. “She truly was an amazing animal and her loss will be felt by all.”

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