A shark was euthanized after it clamped its jaws down on an Iowa aquarium employee and refused to let go.
The staff member at Blue Zoo interactive aquarium in West Des Moines was bit by an 18-inch bamboo shark shortly after 3 p.m. on Monday — the aquarium’s first day celebrating “Shark Week,” KCCI first reported.
The employee was transporting the shark to a larger tank while trying to resuscitate it after it was showing signs of distress, the aquarium said. As the shark regained its strength, it became startled and chomped down its sharp teeth on the staff member’s hand between her thumb and index finger.
“The team made multiple attempts to pry the shark’s mouth open, but the Bamboo Shark’s teeth, similar to small hooks, made it difficult,” Blue Zoo told The Post in a statement. “Consequently, management decided to call emergency responders.”
EMTs who responded to the scene were also unable to free the employee’s hands from the shark’s jaws so it was humanely euthanized, according to Blue Zoo.
The staffer was then taken to a local hospital with minor injuries that did not require stitches, the aquarium said.
The aquarium said that an incident like this has never happened before.
According to sharksider.com, there have been no records of these sharks harming humans.
Employees will wear gloves while handling the fish to prevent any future incidents, Blue Zoo said.
Bamboo sharks small, nocturnal, bottom-dwelling sharks native to the West Pacific, according to Blue Zoo. They can grow to be 24-37 inches long and are widely sought by aquariums for their vibrant colors..
Preston Moore, Iowa state director for the Humane Society of the United States, told KCRG in a statement that he’s “horrified, but no surprised” to hear about what happened at the for-profit aquarium, which opened in May.
“This pathetic roadside zoo pads its bottom line by pushing cruel interactions with stressed wild animals who are treated like disposable toys. Businesses like these are disastrous for animals and for people,” he raged.
He called on the city of West Des Moines to shut the aquarium down.