Nurse shark pup: A rescue animal

[krichardson]

Great story and outcome..Do you intend to return the shark to the sea eventually?

 

[ceeej31]

After the next X ray, talk is to move our current nurse shark in the main Reef display to the big shark display and have this little guy move into the Reef.

great to hear , it's all to often that these stories don't have as happy of an ending. awesome job!

 

[Zoodiver]

Great story and outcome..Do you intend to return the shark to the sea eventually?

We don't have the permit nor the means to properly set up this animal for release. It will be a life time display animal for people to come and see once he goes into the main Reef display.

Releasing fish requires a permit and you need to go through a process of making sure the animal is clean and hasn't been treated with anything. Because we've introduced various drugs into the body (antibiotics etc...), he's been deemed non-releasable.

 

[blacktip]

Hey Matt did you guys end up doing surgery?

 

[Deano1956]

We don't have the permit nor the means to properly set up this animal for release. It will be a life time displat animal for people to come and see once he goes into the main Reef display.

Releasing fish requires a permit and you need to go through a process of making sure the animal is clean and hasn't been treated with anything. Because we've introduced various drugs into the body (antibiotics etc...), he's been deemed non-releasable.

what would there reasoning be for not releasing them once they have made healthy via drugs?

 

[Zoodiver]

It appears the hook is disolving on it's own, but I want proof prior to making a move to exhibit.

Dean, they're fussy about any type of drug treated fish going back into the wild population for fear that it may have built up a tolerance to something negative in captivity, but could carry that into a wild population with the immunity to fight off an foreign disease.

 

[Zoodiver]

Update: Friday he goes in for follow up X rays to determine the next step.

 

[Younglin]

A little late but:

[YT]<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bM_XWzxGXVU?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bM_XWzxGXVU?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>[/YT]

 

[Zoodiver]

Update after the follow up X rays today. Hook is still in place, and clear as day. After the first round, the instruction from the top was wait it out in the hopes that the hook would disolve in the stomach of the shark. (No comment.) Today, we confirmed that doesn't happen. The next step will be one of two. Surgery to remove, then he goes to the big exhibit. Or because he's eating so well and acting normal, allow him to carry on life as he has and move him to exhibit. I'll keep you posted.


Transport over to the vet clinic.

Onto the X Ray table:

The result (hard to see, the film was really washed out):

 

[Younglin]

Won't this hook rust and break down over the years? It may take more than a decade but it will eventually break down I would think.

P.S. I have no idea why that embed isn't working.