Volume 2, No. 12. June 28, 2002
New Arrivals
It’s
a shark exhibit!
The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, announces the arrival
of Shark Lagoon, June 14, 2002. Measurements: 10,000 square feet (3,030 square
feet), three pools totaling 90,000 gallons (342,000 liters), 140 sharks, 13
species, one interactive play area, one cafe, one gift shop and one theater.
Many
aquariums and zoos navigate a dual course when it comes to exhibiting sharks.
The hyper-mythical fierceness of sharks makes for a sure-fire marketing tool
that entices crowds to view what pop culture has positioned as man’s evilest
enemy in the wild. The mission of zoos and aquariums, however, is to promote
understanding and conservation of these endangered sea creatures.
The
Aquarium of the Pacific has taken a novel approach to this dilemma with the
world’s first full-scale shark touch exhibit, the largest capital improvement
in the aquarium’s four-year history. Guests can get a feel of epaulette,
bamboo and young nurse and zebra sharks in shallow tanks, then move around to
a larger tank to watch adult zebras and nurse sharks, sand tigers, sandbars
and whitetip reef sharks, plus a couple of rays, circling through the water.
“It’s
a touch pool, not a petting zoo,” said Aquarist Michael Howard. Docents
are on hand to coach guests on how to feel the sharks, with two fingers in a
light stroke down the back: no grabbing, pinching or pushing. “We monitor
everybody to make sure they don’t stroke them continuously,” Howard
said.
Choosing
species of shark for a touch pool necessitated a few additional criteria for
the aquarium staff. The sharks needed to be small enough to live comfortably
in the shallow pools but hardy enough to endure manhandling—or, more to
the point, childhandling. They also needed to exhibit a peaceful demeanor; the
bamboos and epaulette generally stay inactive during the days, and except when
they are mating the sharks don’t tend to be aggressive with submerged fingers
and hands, Howard said.
Shark
Lagoon now enables the aquarium to answer an oft-asked question among patrons:
where are the big sharks? Large crowds turned out for the Friday public opening
that came two days after aquarium management and local officials dedicated the
new exhibit with due decorum under sunny skies. Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill
officially dedicated the touch pools by introducing the last resident bamboo
shark into the water. Then, four keepers carried the last sand tiger shark to
the large tank.
In
addition to the three shark tanks, the exhibit includes an oversize squid trying
to avoid attack from a shark. Both serve as climbing structures for kids, who
get a hands-on experience on how the squid can defend itself. “Squids squirt
ink, but for obvious reasons we use water,” said Marilyn Padilla, the aquarium’s
public relations coordinator, pointing to the stream of water keeping the children
on the shark at bay. Taking advantage of the new crowds gravitating to what
was an outdoor verandah of the aquarium, a just-opened sgift shop sells shark-themed
merchandise, a theater stages shows about sharks, and a cafe provides for human
feeding frenzies. “If seeing the sharks eating makes you hungry you can
go there for a snack,” Padilla said.
Despite
its novel approach to exhibiting sharks, the Aquarium of the Pacific does not
regard its new exhibit as a novelty act, Howard said. He has noticed many guests
reading the accompanying educational signs, and he feels the closer-than-ever
contact with sharks does help create better understanding of these creatures.
“At the very least people are learning what sharks feel like,” he
said. “I think it’s a great opportunity. I still get a little nervous
because people can get rough, but the benefits far outweigh those issues.”
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