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Tuesday, 30 October, 2001, 17:47 GMT
Aquarium rethinks future after sharks die
The shark deaths have been described as tragic
The National Marine Aquarium will reconsider whether it should keep sharks after four were poisoned in their tanks.
The deaths of the fish have been described by the RSPCA as a tragic accident. The Plymouth-based aquarium has a world-class reputation for animal husbandry but this is the second time four sharks have died at the site. "We are constantly questioning ourselves whether we should have particular animals and there are some animals we will never keep in captivity," said the aquarium's Kelvin Boot.
"What we will do now is look at what lessons we've learnt and decide whether ethically or from a husbandry point of view we should continue to keep those particular animals." Post-mortem examinations are being carried out but it is thought an equipment failure caused the fish to be poisoned by an excess of ozone, used to disinfect their tanks. Three years ago four sharks died within a week of arriving at the aquarium. They had travelled over 4,500 miles from Florida and their deaths were blamed on freak weather conditions delaying their transportation for three hours in a snowstorm. All were suffering from hypothermia. Aquarium staff worked through the night to warm them up and six were saved. The aquarium has already planned a new bigger shark exhibit as the centrepiece of a multi-million pound expansion due to open in the spring.
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