New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn's Coney Island on Monday, where a seal named Pickles greeted him with a kiss.
The visit highlighted the city's $2 million investment in the Sea Cliffs Exhibit Renovation Project at the aquarium. Mamdani said the investment "has gotten a pretty clear seal of approval."
Sea Cliffs is the aquarium's outdoor marine mammal exhibit, home to animals including sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions and penguins. Run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the New York Aquarium is the oldest continually operating aquarium in the United States.
Mamdani took office on Jan. 1, 2026, as New York City's first Muslim mayor.