Second Rare Shark Dies In Aquarium Mystery

Two Rare Whale Sharks Die In Same Atlanta Facility Months Apart

(CBS/AP)  Another whale shark died Wednesday at the Georgia Aquarium, the second this year at the only facility outside Asia to display the huge, rare fish.

Aquarium officials said identifying the cause of "Norton's" death could take months. A necropsy was planned.

Just two weeks ago, two young male sharks arrived from Taiwan, and fishery officials there said at that time they were satisfied the Atlanta aquarium provided quality care.

In January, Ralph, a whale shark who was one of the aquarium's first stars when it opened in 2005, died from peritonitis, an infection in his abdomen.

Aquarium officials said Wednesday that Norton had stopped eating in recent months and swam erratically. Early Wednesday, he settled to the bottom of the aquarium's centerpiece Ocean Voyager tank.

Ray Davis, Senior Vice President, Zoological Operations at the aquarium, told CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann, "As with autopsies of humans, it can take weeks or months to get results back and start getting definitive ideas of what’s going on."

Norton was euthanized after his health didn't improve. His death will be investigated for any possible link to Ralph's death, aquarium officials said.

Ralph had stomach problems that inflamed a membrane in his abdomen, but the aquarium has also said a chemical used in cleaning the sharks' tank may have contributed to Ralph's loss of appetite. The tank-cleaning routine since has been changed.

Adding to the controversy is the death of Gaspar, a Beluga whale that also died at the aquarium in January. Gaspar, who was rescued from a Mexican amusement park (and was 300 pounds underweight at the time), died of a bone infection.

Davis said the remaining four whale sharks were doing fine.

The deaths of these sharks has the critics circling, reports Strassmann. Much of the criticism is philosophical — whether creatures so enormous, and whale sharks can grow to 40 feet — can ever be kept healthy in captivity.

"There’s sadness over the death of a magnificent animal," Lori Marino, Behavioral Biologist from Emory University told CBS. "And then anger because that animal should not have been there in the first place."

Many visitors Wednesday had just learned of Norton's death, including Christine Obijeski, who brought her 3-year-old daughter, Kristen, and her 4-year-old nephew, Richard Poelvoorde.

"I told them Norton had died, and they asked me why," Obijeski said. "They said he might have been sad because Ralph wasn't here."

The new arrivals, Yushan and Taroko, and female whale sharks Alice and Trixie share a 6 million-gallon tank. The aquarium says the tank is big enough for them.

[beadazzle]

Ok so now where killings whale sharks in tanks they say are suppose to be right for them to live in. Yeah right,we are talking a big fish that needs tons of water to be able to move up and down and not just in a circle.

Think about it,you've lived all your life being free to dive thousands of fett to the ocean floors and to come up and see the blue sky,then some idiot who thinks people want to see these animals caged up and viewed going around in circles.
Maybe we should put a human family on display and make it to where all we can do is walk around in circles and see how long we would survive.

I say take the sharks and whales and dolphins put them back in the oceans and quite killing off our killer whales,which are dolphins to.

[virus13v]

Key word here people, RARE.
One of the main reason for keeping wild animals in captivity is to protect them from going extinct. Now they are not yet on the endangered species list, but they are on the threatened species list.
Sure, these giants of the ocean would be better off IN the ocean. But in the ocean they are at risk of being killed off by artisan and commercial fisheries.
So which of these two evils is worse?
Oh and do any of you realize how HUGE a 6 million gallon tank is? That's 802,083,337 cubic feet of water. This is not some pathetic fish bowl they have to swim in.
Get a grip.

[evilbob3]

What do you expect it's Atlanta.. For all of the hype about this being the worlds largest, there really isn't much to brag about here. Other than the Whale Sharks and Beluga's, which appear sickly and lifeless most of the time.. I think you could see just as much at almost any other Aquarium, not to mention a better selection of "healthy specimens". It's terribly over crowded. Many many guests complain about getting stepped on, pushed, and bumped into. There were several exhibits that could not even be seen because of the crowds around them. It's a hot and uncomfortable shiat hole, obviously the AC could not handle the overcrowding. Trash cans overflowed and litter dotted the floors and the elevator smelled of urine.. it was almost as bad as walking around in a MARTA station.... don't get me started on the panhandlers lurking just outside of the front doors begging for a "dolla" or "can you help a brother out" ***...

[ov442]

yeah, its not a good way to keep large fish or mammals. they have no room. it really is jail.
The oceans are what they need. Its their natural habitat.

[lovely1_17]

If it's hard to understand why they keep dieing, don't know a lot about them, and a rare fish, why are we doing what were doing? First we need to "study" them more befor we can take it into our own hands.. An animal like that doesn't stay in one spot.. And that tank there living in is really to small for 6 even 1. And if there so rare lets not let more die and bring more in.. If these ones die, let them. Study it.. Figure it out.. Then study them in the wild.. For months or even years befor we try to bring them back into a tank..
Lets not be responsible for another death. hope that makes some sense.

[jabberwock11]

I don't think whale sharks are really suited for aquariums. First off they are pelagic, secondly they grow BIG (in fact they are the biggest fish in the world), and third they are filter feeders.

[ceethomas]

Thanks Bernie Marcus and Home Depot for showing how rich and powerful you are. You now capture and imprison sea life. Ooooooh. Big man!! I reckon all the creatures in your fish tank wish you'd take your $250 million and stick it. These creatures need to be in their natural habitat, the sea, not an artificial environment. Shame on Marcus. Shame on Home Depot. How many more will die because of your stupidity.

[canaima]

Or call Emeril as there's plenty for everyone.

[rushlimpdrug]

Quick, somebody call spielburg there's a movie here somewhere!