TORONTO 鈥� Visitors to Toronto may not be able to swim with the sharks on Bay Street but they鈥檒l have an up-close view of the ocean predators in a new indoor aquarium.
After two years of construction, delays and $130 million in costs, Ripley鈥檚 Aquarium of sa国际传媒 opened to the public Wednesday.
The aquarium, billed as the country鈥檚 largest, is home to more than 13,000 aquatic animals and 450 different species held in nearly six million litres of water.
Attractions include areas to touch crabs and stingrays, behind-the-scenes tours and an opportunity to 鈥渟leep with the sharks鈥� during an overnight stay beneath a shark tank.
The aquarium also boasts a football-field length glass viewing tunnel with a moving sidewalk that will take visitors past sharks, sea turtles, sawfish and moray eels.
Mayor Rob Ford, Coun. Adam Vaughan and Ripley鈥檚 CEO Jim Pattison were among guests at the ribbon cutting in downtown Toronto near the CN Tower.
Construction on the three-level, 12,500-square-metre facility began in August 2011. But the aquarium鈥檚 initial debut was postponed in June to ensure the proper installation of the 50 tanks housing the animals. The opening was again delayed in September.
The facility was funded in part by Ripley鈥檚 Entertainment Inc., sa国际传媒 Lands Company and the Ontario government. It鈥檚 expected to draw more than two million visitors a year.
Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for youth and $12 for children under five.
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