The thieves disguised the shark as a baby wrapped in a blanket and wheeled it out of the aquarium in a stroller. But thanks to an alert staff member, the horn shark — called Miss Helen — is back in its petting tank.
Image: San Antonio Aquarium
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A shark stolen from the San Antonio Aquarium in Texas in a baby stroller on Saturday has been found and is back in its petting tank.
Police have obtained confessions from two of the men involved and are ascertaining whether the thieves could be charged under federal laws.
"She is back home, where she belongs! Sharknapping: Unsuccessful! Welcome home Miss Helen!" San Antonio Aquarium said on its Facebook page.
Surveillance video showed two men and a woman grab the shark — called Miss Helen — from the aquarium's tide pool using their own net while the attendant was assisting other guests, the aquarium said in statement.
The suspects then took the nearly 3-foot-long (91 centimeters) gray horn shark into one of the aquarium's filter rooms, where they endangered other animals by emptying a bucket full of bleach in the exhibit's filtration system.
The shark was then wrapped in a wet blanket and put in the bucket and wheeled out in a stroller.
An aquarium employee suspicious of the trio's behavior immediately alerted the aquarium's general manager, Jenny Stellman, Washington Post newspaper reported.
Stellman apprehended one of the suspects in the parking lot, who refused to allow her to search his vehicle and drove off, the newspaper said.
Suspects' home replete with marine life
Police tracked down the pickup truck on Monday evening.
Police Chief Joseph Salvaggio in the San Antonio suburb of Leon Valley said the suspects maintained an extensive collection of marine animals in their home, which almost seemed like a mock-up of the San Antonio Aquarium.
Salvaggio said the men confessed to the shark snatching. The investigators plan to interrogate the woman on Tuesday.
Blame it on Jaws or blame it on the fact that sharks do have rather a lot of sharp teeth, fact is, many humans have a fear of sharks as deep as the waters in which they swim. Any expert will tell you, we kill by far more of these great fish a year than they do us. So should we really be scared?
Image: Pterantula (Terry Goss) via Wikimedia Commons
The reef shark
There are five species of reef shark, of which this is one. Feasting on crustaceans and fish alike, they are the top predator in the fragile ecosystem from which they take their name. They are no strangers to divers either, and have been known to attack when they feel threatened.
Image: CC BY 4.0/Albert kok
All shapes and sizes
There are more than 250 recorded species of shark in the waters around our planet. They range in size and ferocity. The sand tiger shark weighs up to 159 kilos and can reach a length of 3.2 meters. They are big eaters, have a mouth full of frightening looking teeth, but are generally regarded as being docile and unlikely to attack humans unless provoked to do so.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S.Sauer
Mass slaughter
Though it is impossible to know exactly how many sharks are killed annually for their fins, some estimates put the number around 100 million. Finning, as the practice is known, entails the removal of the fin while the shark is alive. The animals are then cast back into the sea where if not dead already, they succumb to a painful end. The fins are used to make soup, which costs up to $100 a bowl.
Image: Gerhard Wegner/Sharkproject
Growing old gracefully
Recent research revealed that Greenland sharks can live to the extraordinarily ripe old age of 400. These predators have a healthy appetite, but have never been known to go for humans. They like cold waters, through which they move slowly. And that is not the only thing they do at a leisurly pace - they don't even reach sexual maturity until they are around 150.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Oceans Image
Just because it's big, doesn't mean...
...it will hurt you. At 18 meters, whale sharks are the longest species in the family, and indeed the biggest fish in the sea. At that rate, dinner should be theirs for the picking, but their penchant is for plankton. Good news for all the other creatures in the sea. But whale sharks are at risk. Not only are they fished for their fins, oil and meat, but are often hit by eco-tourism boats.
Image: CC BY 2.0/Derek Keats
Lemon sharks
Said to be the best researched sharks, the lemon species is considered non-agressive. To date there have been no recorded incidents of a human fatality as a result of a lemon shark attack. They are social creatures that move in groups, where they rarely display aggressive behavior to each other.
