Great White Shark Dies After Just 3 Days In Captivity

great-white-shark-398276_960_720


Like most wild creatures, great white sharks do not belong in captivity. A Japanese aquarium found this out the hard way after a shark placed in a tank display died after just 3 days.

The New York Times reports that an 11 1/2-foot-long male shark was caught off the coast of Japan, and was shortly after transferred to an exhibit called “The Sea of Dangerous Sharks” at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium last Tuesday.

Unfortunately, just three days later, the great white shark died.

Aquariums have tried for years to keep great white sharks in captivity, but the predatory fish do not do thrive in tanks.

According to experts, the shark is a open-water fish that swims fast, rips its pray to pieces, and never encounters walls in its natural habitat. In a tank, it is common for the sharks to refuse to eat, which is exactly what contributed to this shark’s death.

Furthermore, a great white shark needs a large amount of space to swim in order to maintain oxygen levels and body temperature.

The aquarium argued that they hoped to learn a great deal about these creatures because little was known, but experts say their actions were driven by profit. 

Said George H. Burgess, an ichthyologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History:

“It’s purely climb-the-mountain stuff. In the world of aquaria, where you bring in your clientele, the visitors, based on your attractions, it’s an attraction you would have that nobody else would have.”

PETA spoke for many when it commented: “The shark never had to die like this.”

What are your thoughts? Please share this news and comment your thoughts below!


This article (Great White Shark Dies After Just 3 Days In Captivity) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com

 

Popular on True Activist