San Antonio aquarium visitors allegedly stole a shark, mysanantonio.com reported on Monday, 30th July. The bizarre crime was caught on camera and the footage quickly went viral. It showed two men and a woman apparently using a baby stroller and a blanket to conceal a shark they lifted from an open display. At the time, the website reported that "Leon Valley Chief of Police Joseph Salvaggio said, "Some guy just basically grabbed a shark out of the tank, put it in a baby stroller and left.” The incident happened early afternoon on Saturday.
Stolen aquarium shark was located alive
A Buzzfeed update reported the happy news that the shark was located and Texas police were on the way to fetch it. The shark was still alive which was a relief. That's because it could only live for an hour or so out of the water. According to KSAT, the police took someone into custody and the vehicle they used was impounded. The suspects face a federal charge. The gray horn shark, which was about three-foot long was valued at around $2,000.00 (1,524 Pound sterling). The theft charge applies as they allegedly remove the property of another person without the intention of returning it.
Gray horn sharks
Ammon Covino, the aquarium owner said to Buzzfeed that the sharks will bite if they are interfered with.
They have a horn on their backs, "so if you were to step on them you would get gouged." The sharks look rather cute as they are small and speckled.
Here's a picture of a grey horn shark, similar to the one that Leon Valley Police say was stolen from the @SAAquarium Saturday afternoon. We are told there is video of the suspects as well as pictures, but we and the police have yet to see them. #kens5eyewitness pic.twitter.com/5ECBnzVSAQ
— Jeremy Baker (@JeremyBKENS5) July 30, 2018
Horn sharks occur along the West Coast of North America around California.
They hunt at night and hide up during the day. Mostly, the bull-headed shark species feast on molluscs which they suck up with vigour to pry them off the substrate. In Mexico, the sharks caught are used for food and to feed fish. But in California, the species is not really a commercially targeted. Sometimes the spines are used to make jewellery.
The conservation status of the sharks isn't really known, but there are few threats to the species. However, they are prized as aquarium species as they are fairly easy to handle and contain.
The shark returned to the aquarium
News emerged on Twitter that police recovered the shark and photos were posted to reassure concerned animal-lovers.
BREAKING: The stolen shark from the San Antonio Aquarium is BACK. Here are a couple of photos. #kens5eyewitness pic.twitter.com/PUt1dT4clF
— Henry RamosTV (@HenryRamosTV) July 31, 2018
Twitter posts indicated the shark may have been traced through an attempt to sell it on Facebook for a fraction of its value. But it's not confirmed that the tweet refers to any of the photos uploaded.
What do you think about people snatching a shark from under the noses of aquarium workers in San Antonio? Should the police "throw the book at the thieves?" You can stay up to date with trending news by coming back to Blasting News often for interesting stories.
