San Antonio Aquarium Shark stolen from San Antonio Aquarium

[TinoPup]

Something you don't hear every day... a Horn shark was stolen from the San Antonio Aquarium on saturday, while the aquarium was open.

One man grabbed the tail of the shark, located in a touch tank, while another man and a woman wrapped it in a wet blanket. They then carried it off and placed it in a SAA labeled bucket with a bleach solution, followed by putting it in a stroller with a blanket over it, terribly pretending it was a baby.

It appears they have aquarium experience, since they knew exactly what they were going to steal and were prepared for it, but their crime skills kind of suck given there were employees watching, lots of visitors around them, and plenty of security cameras.

WATCH: Surveillance video shows trio stealing shark by disguising it as a baby

What other animals have been stolen from institutions?

Update: Surprisingly, the shark is still alive! They tried to sell it over facebook marketplace.

Twitter

 

[Batto]

 

[Coelacanth18]

Immediately thought of this comic.

Source: Backpack Travel

 

[Coelacanth18]

Unfortunately, thefts of animals from zoos do happen. I remember a few animals being stolen from the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo in Gainesville, Florida a few months ago.

 

[Okapipako]

It's astonishing how easy it was to just up and take it without any hassle. Especially when surrounded by people...

But my favorite part is the 'disguising it as a baby' thing. That's just straight out of a cartoon.

 

[ZooElephantMan]

Disguising it as a baby reminds me of the part in Finding Dory when the octopus hides in a stroller

 

[TinoPup]

Shockingly, the shark, named Miss Helen, was recovered ALIVE and is back at the aquarium and doing well!

Initial reports said she was put in a bucket of bleach solution, but the bleach was actually dumped into the filtration system... the keepers who noticed the theft were able to quickly save those tanks.

The main guy posed as an employee of the company that provides salt to the aquarium on a visit a month ago, taking "samples" of water so he could scout the aquarium.

So he cased the place by posing as someone else, likely with a uniform and tools to take samples, then decided the best way to steal the shark was to go on a saturday afternoon and take it in front of a crowd?? And then try to sell it for only $300???

There was also a *real* baby in that stroller that the woman took out and carried so they could put the shark bucket in it. So suddenly there were two babies, real baby and fake baby.

 

[Batto]

The long anticipated prequel, taking the word "Ocean" literally:

Ocean's Three: Shark Week

Coming soon to a theatre near you!

 

[Batto]

Disguising it as a baby reminds me of the part in Finding Dory when the octopus hides in a stroller

That might have influenced the plan. Maybe PIXAR should sue them...

It's astonishing how easy it was to just up and take it without any hassle. Especially when surrounded by people...

You'd be amazed what some hustlers can get away with if one just acts casually and "professionally".

 

[TheMightyOrca]

Lol, that’s nuts. I have questions, though. First, why go through all that risk and trouble if you were gonna sell it for only $300? Second, why sell it on Facebook marketplace? Did they think that no one would notice the missing shark for a long time? A crazy case like this would definitely get lots of news coverage so people would recognize the shark as stolen. It was a carefully planned operation so surely they knew about the cameras.

Edit: So the FB marketplace post was a troll post. Still raises the question of why steal the shark, are they that valuable?

 

[TheMightyOrca]

That might have influenced the plan. Maybe PIXAR should sue them...

You'd be amazed what some hustlers can get away with if one just acts casually and "professionally".

Plus I doubt that live shark theft is terribly common. How many people will keep an eye out for that? Lol.

 

[TinoPup]

It's okay guys, “[He's] an activist, not a criminal" and he was concerned about the animal's safety and "he took the shark from the petting tank after he saw a guest squeeze it".
Man who swiped shark from aquarium says he's ‘activist, not a criminal'

 

[Coelacanth18]

It's okay guys, “[He's] an activist, not a criminal" and he was concerned about the animal's safety and "he took the shark from the petting tank after he saw a guest squeeze it".
Man who swiped shark from aquarium says he's ‘activist, not a criminal'

He was concerned about the animal's safety, so he dropped it in a bucket of bleach solution then let it suffocate in a baby stroller?

 

[TinoPup]

He was concerned about the animal's safety, so he dropped it in a bucket of bleach solution then let it suffocate in a baby stroller?

It's about as logical as every other part of this story. It didn't suffocate though, she's back at the aquarium and doing well

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

It's okay guys, “[He's] an activist, not a criminal" and he was concerned about the animal's safety and "he took the shark from the petting tank after he saw a guest squeeze it".
Man who swiped shark from aquarium says he's ‘activist, not a criminal'

I hope the guy and his accomplices get commensurate punishment; it is theft, pollution/poisoning aquaria (bleach), animal mistreatment and illegally trying to sell off wild animals. AND: Far from what some folks make it out as funny …, it is not and these are serious crimes.

 

[Coelacanth18]

I hope the guy and his accomplices get commensurate punishment; it is theft, pollution/poisoning aquaria (bleach), animal mistreatment and illegally trying to sell off wild animals. AND: Far from what some folks make it out as funny …, it is not and these are serious crimes.

For clarification, he *did not* try to sell the shark; the thing about FB Marketplace (which doesn't exist) was a fake post. On the other three counts, though, I agree that he and his two accomplices deserve a serious punishment for endangering a wild animal's life.

As for the moment, he is being charged with felony theft. I'm not sure if animal cruelty can be levied against him, since it was a fish (generally low priority for animal welfare here).

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

For clarification, he *did not* try to sell the shark; the thing about FB Marketplace (which doesn't exist) was a fake post. On the other three counts, though, I agree that he and his two accomplices deserve a serious punishment for endangering a wild animal's life.

As for the moment, he is being charged with felony theft. I'm not sure if animal cruelty can be levied against him, since it was a fish (generally low priority for animal welfare here).

Thanks for elaborating.

It unnerves me that some folks then seem wanton on misconstruing the facts (the selling part). However, equally unnerving that the perpetrator seems to be unapologetic and seriously believes he is not a criminal. This just underlines really how detached we have become from nature and real and ethical values.

BTW: It has been demonstrated fish do feel and experience pain and distress. One reason zoo fish transports and acclimatization are a serious technical affair.

 

[Batto]

It's okay guys, “[He's] an activist, not a criminal" and he was concerned about the animal's safety and "he took the shark from the petting tank after he saw a guest squeeze it".
Man who swiped shark from aquarium says he's ‘activist, not a criminal'

Is that inanity, impudence, insanity or a mix of all?

 

[TheMightyOrca]

It's okay guys, “[He's] an activist, not a criminal" and he was concerned about the animal's safety and "he took the shark from the petting tank after he saw a guest squeeze it".
Man who swiped shark from aquarium says he's ‘activist, not a criminal'

Oh, yeah, I toooootally believe him.

He was concerned about the animal's safety, so he dropped it in a bucket of bleach solution then let it suffocate in a baby stroller?

It sounds like he didn't put the shark in bleach solution, he poured a bleach solution into a different aquarium as a distraction... Which could have killed several animals.

 

[Coelacanth18]

It sounds like he didn't put the shark in bleach solution, he poured a bleach solution into a different aquarium as a distraction... Which could have killed several animals.

Says this in the OP's article:

Spellman said the men went into a back room and put the shark into a San Antonio Aquarium bucket that had a bleach solution. She said that the bleach might have shocked the shark's system.