Mamdani receives kiss from seal during visit to promote $2 million aquarium funding
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Mamdani toured the coastal facility alongside City Council Member Kayla Santosuosso to review planned facility improvements
- The visit drew widespread attention online after video captured a resident seal named Pickles giving the mayor a kiss on the cheek during the tour
Footage shows New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani receiving a greeting from a seal during a tour of the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, where municipal officials gathered to highlight a $2 million funding allocation for the facility's coastal wildlife exhibits.
View this post on Instagram
Mamdani and City Council Member Kayla Santosuosso met with marine care specialists alongside the enclosure before a resident harbor seal, identified as Pickles, reached up to plant a kiss on the mayor's cheek.
Our $2M investment in the Sea Cliffs Exhibit Renovation Project at @nyaquarium has gotten a pretty clear seal of approval. Thank you for having me, @kaymsanto (and Pickles!) https://t.co/n9x9N0QLlw
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) October 27, 2026
The pledged $2 million in municipal funding is directed toward structural updates and habitat improvements at the Sea Cliffs exhibit, an open-air installation operated by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The complex provides long-term housing and care for harbor seals, sea lions, black-footed penguins, and rescued California sea otters.
The investment forms part of ongoing infrastructure modernization across city-supported cultural and educational institutions, aimed at enhancing animal care facilities and expanding public educational programming along Brooklyn’s waterfront.
