Whale Shark Ralph Dies at Aquarium

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    Re: Whale Shark Ralph Dies at Aquarium

    infoshark - 14.06.2007, 10:59

    Whale Shark Ralph Dies at Aquarium
    Whale Shark Ralph Dies at Aquarium

    Sharks in captivity will, from time to time, stop eating. So when Georgia Aquarium staffers noticed that Ralph was occasionally off his feed, they watched, but were not overly concerned -- until they saw him at the bottom of the Aquarium on Thursday.

    One of the bonuses of having whale sharks in captivity, is that scientists can examine them and collect information about their biology for the first time.

    Tim Binder, director of husbandry at the Aquarium, told 11Alive’s Marc Pickard that Ralph's last exam was two days ago.

    “Wednesday morning -- which was the most recent physical -- we saw indications that he might have been having an elevated white blood cell count, mild infection. So,” Binder said, “We started treating that. But we were also very encouraged by his behavior, because he seemed strong and he was avoiding us."

    Binder and his team were not prepared for what they saw the next day.

    "As soon as we saw him on the bottom, he was pulled to the surface,” Binder said. “We provided him with fluid therapy, and also the appropriate veterinary care to deal with an animal that was in distress."

    For eight and a half hours, a team of 50 people did everything they could to save Ralph.

    "It is hard on our staff,” observed Aquarium president Jeff Swanagan. “And even though we understand our biology, it is tough. And you know, we endure that, and on one part, our hearts are saddened. Our minds have to turn on to their science mode and learn from it."

    Visitors to the big window today seemed willing to view the deaths of Ralph and the beluga whale Gasper, as unrelated and unfortunate.

    "I don't really think that there's a connection with it,” one visitor said. “To tell you the truth, I feel like so many things can be happening."

    So, for the second time in two weeks, visitors and staff grieve over the loss of a special animal.

    Ralph's necropsy -- an animal autopsy -- began around 10 a.m. Thursday.

    Scientists hope to learn three things -- what killed Ralph, what are the workings of whale shark anatomy, and what can be learned to help whale sharks in the wild.

    Quelle: 11Alive

    Vdeo reports: http://www.11alive.com/video/player.aspx?aid=64807&bw=



    Re: Whale Shark Ralph Dies at Aquarium

    infoshark - 16.06.2007, 16:26

    Tests Offer No Clues On Whale Shark 'Norton's' Death
    Georgia Aquarium: Tests Offer No Clues On Whale Shark 'Norton's' Death; 'Inappetance' Eyed

    Atlanta, Georgia (Jun 15, 2007 14:22 EST) The Georgia Aquarium completed a nine-hour gross necropsy of Norton, the whale shark that died early Wednesday morning, June 13, 2007. Norton weighed 3,029 pounds (1,376.8 kilograms) and measured 21 feet 5 inches long (652 centimeters). Aquarium scientists report that the gross necropsy did not produce any immediate findings that explain the possible causes in the decline of Norton’s health.

    The Georgia Aquarium believes that the decline in the health of both Norton and Ralph, the whale shark that died in January 2007, is related to their inappetance. During the necropsy of Ralph, findings showed that he had an atypical stomach, which was thin-walled and perforated; Norton’s stomach appeared normal. Studies will continue to see if there is a link between their inappetance and a series of treatments used in 2006 to manage parasites in the Ocean Voyager exhibit, or if there is another cause. The treatment is commonly used in both home and professional aquariums and was used in a conservative manner. As a precaution, the Aquarium stopped using this treatment after the loss of appetite was observed.

    Alice, Trixie, Taroko and Yushan, the Aquarium’s other whale sharks, did not experience this same course of treatment, and they are all eating their complete diet and exhibiting normal behavior.

    Jeff Swanagan, President and Executive Director of the Georgia Aquarium said, "While we may never know the exact cause of the decline in Norton’s health, the scientific learning that will come from animals being here, and most important, being appreciated by the millions of people who have had a chance to observe them, will be an important contribution to future generations. Everything we learn is a new discovery, and we are sharing this information with shark researchers and scientists around the world.”

    The samples taken from the necropsy are currently being studied by scientists across the country. The process of analyzing the data takes many months. Samples from the necropsy have been stored at temperatures of -80 degrees Fahrenheit, so that they may be evaluated with future technology and shared with other institutions to advance the understanding of whale sharks.

    In Ralph’s necropsy, scientists discovered that whale sharks have a different mechanism to control eye movement and a much more complex way of filtering water to catch food than previously believed. Additional tests were conducted during Norton’s necropsy so there will be a better understanding of these systems. These discoveries and others will be studied in further detail and submitted to scientific journals.

    “No one has ever done many of the things that our team does every day at the Georgia Aquarium. And the mail that we receive, the emails that are sent to us and the comments our staff has heard from more than five million adults and children who have walked through our doors, tell us there are incomparable education and research rewards that come from the Georgia Aquarium," Swanagan said.



    Re: Whale Shark Ralph Dies at Aquarium

    infoshark - 21.06.2007, 09:02

    Other big aquariums face risks of cutting-edge captivity
    Other big aquariums face risks of cutting-edge captivity

    The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

    Published on: 06/18/07

    In downtown Atlanta, it's whale sharks. But it was a beloved beluga whale in Chicago. And in Monterey, Calif., the problem was blue sharks and later a suddenly aggressive — and very popular — Great White.

    Some of the nation's major aquariums experienced a bit of déjà vu this week when the second whale shark in six months died at the Georgia Aquarium, unleashing a wave of negative publicity and stinging criticism.

    concern of the people who run the big fish tanks and sometimes attempt to stretch the envelope with cutting-edge displays. Atlanta, which still has four whale sharks, is the only aquarium outside Asia to display the huge, filter-feeding sharks.

    "It's certainly not the kind of news you want to be talking about," said Ken Peterson, spokesman for the Monterey Bay Aquarium on the California coast. "If you have a predisposition to say zoos and aquariums should not exist, critics will use the death of any animal to say, 'I told you so.' "

    Monterey Bay, the Georgia Aquarium and Chicago's Shedd Aquarium — considered by many to be the nation's top fish tanks — have all had to deal with marquee exhibits in which high-profile animals died or suddenly veered off script.

    The whale shark known as Norton died Wednesday at the Georgia Aquarium after months of appetite loss and forced feedings through a tube. His tankmate, Ralph, died in January of peritonitis after he too stopped feeding.

    Some aquarium experts believe a chemical (trichlorfon) used to treat the whale sharks' 6-million gallon tank for parasites caused the two big sharks to stop eating, and led to a cascading series of problems that ultimately caused their deaths. Ralph and Norton arrived together in June 2005, after an 8,000-mile journey from Taiwan, where they were caught as part of the annual quota harvested for food.

    Jeff Swanagan, president and executive director of the Georgia Aquarium, said that despite the deaths, he is confident his scientists have the knowledge and ability to humanely care for and display whale sharks for the long haul.

    "There is a learning curve you go through," Swanagan said. "And on the other side of that are great successes. I would imagine the first people who brought in a giraffe in or a zebra had the same kind of issues."

    Whatever the cause, the demise of Ralph and Norton has rekindled the debate over whether aquariums should attempt to the keep large, oceangoing animals like whale sharks. The four remaining whale sharks, which also came from Taiwan, arrived at the aquarium after Ralph and Norton and were not treated with the same parasite-killing chemical. They are healthy and eating "robustly," Swanagan said.

    Peterson said Monterey experienced a major problem with a popular exhibit in 1995 when the aquarium placed six blue sharks in its Outer Bay exhibit. Two of the animals died, he said, and by 1998 the aquarium decided to release the remaining sharks.

    "We said very quickly this is a species that doesn't do very well in our aquarium, and we have not had them since," he said.

    A few years back, Monterey decided to display a Great White shark. It was a mini-version of Jaws — only 5 feet long — but created big headlines and long lines of ticket-buying visitors.

    Things went well at first. The shark behaved, ate prepared meals on cue and grew to more than 6 feet. Then it began attacking and killing its tankmates, including several other sharks. The aquarium quickly decided to release the shark after outfitting it with a data-collecting satellite tag.

    Monterey learned from that first experience, he said, and recently displayed another Great White with more success. That shark also eventually was released.

    The 75-year-old Shedd Aquarium, which sits on the banks of Lake Michigan, created headlines in 1999 when one of its beluga whales, Immiayuk, died from a blood-borne bacterial infection six months after giving birth to a calf.

    The death of the 14-year-old beluga sparked criticism from animal rights activists and other critics who condemn keeping belugas in captivity. llinois Animal Action, an animal rights group, called for a Chicago City Council to ban the breeding and importation of whales and dolphins in Chicago.

    "There are some people out there who find any death at any aquarium unacceptable," said Shedd spokesman Roger Germann. "If we have a beluga here for 25 years, and it dies, our critics say that shows we shouldn't have had beluga whales."

    But Germann, echoing the sentiments of aquariums across the world, argued that scientific research on captive animals translates to helping their relatives in the wild.

    And, he said, the captive animals educate and inspire the public. That promotes conservation among large groups of people, he said, many of whom will never have the chance to see and empathize with the animals in the wild.

    "The early days of having a cutting-edge display like whale sharks might be a lot rougher than you hope," Germann said. "But you gain a lot of knowledge, and hopefully it helps the others survive."

    Quelle: ajc.com



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