PETA Seeks Investigation into Florida Aquarium

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation filed a complaint with the Director of the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center and the State Attorney for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida alleging that the Florida Aquarium starved a nurse shark and several stingrays. PETA received a tip from an anonymous whistleblower who was allegedly employed at the Florida Aquarium that the aquarium was withholding food from animals as part of a behavioral training program. According to the whistleblower, this program lead to the death of a nurse shark, and the near death of several stingrays. The Florida Aquarium has denied PETA’s allegations and has explained that the nurse shark in question died from a chronic lesion on his heart valve. According to the aquarium, the nurse shark lived in a million gallon habitat with thousands of other animals and had access to plenty of food.

For more information, see:

Seán Kinane, The Florida Aquarium Withheld Food from Shark that Died, Says Former Trainer, 88.5 WMNF (Jan. 5, 2017), available at: http://www.wmnf.org/florida-aquarium-withheld-food-shark-died/

Evan Axelbank, PETA Demands Investigation of Florida Aquarium, Fox 13 (Jan. 5, 2017), available at: http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/227373487-story

#January2017 #animalcruelty #Animalabuse #Shark