Ok yup, that's it, can't take it anymore. I tried my best to stay out of this, but considering the issues brought up - things need to be clarified. There are so many I don't even know where to start!
Ok, lets begin with the initial idea to house a GW. Just so everyone is clear - THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME IT WAS CONSIDERED OR ATTEMPTED OK. When the call came in that there was a Juv. white which had been caught by mistake, take no confusion from this - MBA was NOT the first notified. In fact, there were other reputable facilities who were offered the opportunity, and all of which turned it down ( not for lack of desire obviously!!!), mainly because they knew there was no sufficient holding area, or qualified staff to handle such a task on such short notice. That was the responsible move!! MBA jumped at the opportunity (out of ego if you ask me!). Sad truth is, below the surface of excitement buzzing through the staff, there was also huge amounts of questions and concerns about where/how/for how long/and so on. Everone was more than aware that we were in over our heads, but god forbid anyone on the outside saw the fear. It was portrayed as a total sucess, when indeed, it was anything but. She was beaten up a bit when she came in, and already had developing scar patterns (indicating that she was thriving before capture, as whites can be quite voratious when feeding, as well as fighting, and such scars are a normal - and good - indicator that this shark had been healthy, able to hold her own, and learning the "ropes" so to speak). It took her a few weeks to acclimate 100%, and navigate with some accuracy the enclosure which she was placed in (1,000,000 Gallon outer bay exhibit). But if you want to call anything a success - leave it to those few weeks, and those ONLY. But to be quite honest, IMO I wouldn't even give it that much credit. What the general public doesn't know, is that this was not the first time MBA attempted this - yes it really was done before with a white. You wanna know the sad fact behind the ugly political matter........ Some of the initial reasons for housing whites before this one, and keeping it silent, was that it was all about trial and error. Do you really think MB is the first to ever attempt to house a white??? Please!!! Give me a break, ask anyone in the field and they will all tell you that at some poiunt or another it has been - or still is - their ultimate goal. It's a race. There was a LOT kept quiet about what was going on both before and after the capture and release. Now when I mentioned earlier that other's were offered the opportunity before us, and that they all turned it down....... Wonder why? And why were they offered first? Simply this - they were honerable about their research, made it public knowledge about their goals, projects, and so forth, and were very realistic when it came to actually achieving that goal. MB on the other hand thought it would be better to keep it on the low, do what was needed (even if it meant going through a few sharks) to learn what they could, and adjust the details accordingly as to how they would be maintained, so that if and when the opportunity ever presented it's self (in a mannor such as this one was - a surprise and "emergency" on-the-spot issue), they could graciously accept, take in the shark, show amazing knowledge and adaptability to handling such species. What a crock! It is all a poker game, a poker game with not only your reputation on the line, but also your sponsors, potential grant offers, etc., etc., etc. But whatever, moving onto the "nose issue". There was a lot - - and I mean A LOT of political spin's placed on this issue to quell the fears - and burdening curiosities of concerned onlookers, that the only injuries sustained were from her being transported to us, and moved from the holding to the exhibit. YEAH <WHATEVER>!!! Fact of the matter is - yes she was a little cut up from her initial capture, but the origional wounds sustained from that were healing quite rapidly, and she was in good, solid condition when she came in. The aftermath of exhibitinig her was a whole other story!! If you had come to see her in person, there would have been no doubt in your mind that there was nothing "casual", "peaceful", or "comfortable" about her swimming, or overall state - as were the words used by the media to reassure the public. Not only was this a huge ethical controvery, but also a coorporate one. Her rostrum was completly mutilated, to a point that soon became obvious she would never recover from. She had slammed into the siding so many times, drug her body along the sides, and thrashed at times as if trying to wiggle out of a net or something, ending up crashing even more against the walls. From any educated eye it was obvious that she was going down hill really fast. MBA was not unaware of this either! At times (if close enough), visible chunks of flesh hanging from her wound could be seen. She developed sever infections, and deep absessed (puss filled) pockets in her glands, and often it was clearly inflamed and bloody to the naked eye. While yes the bologist directly presiding over her were well trained, and highly regarded, it was not enough, and even some of them felt she needed to be released, but it was not their call. The greed for the sheer amount of money which flowed in after her display was a driving force to milk the situation with little regard for her wellbeing (which should have been of the utmost importance!). Only after the public began to catch on and submit a plethora of complaints, prostest, and make threats, was the decision made to release her - and not before! She had attacked two soupfins which were enclosed with her, and so it was told to the media that this was the main reason for her release...... Bull $hit!!!!! It was publically announced, and a big deal was made of it, with the hopes that it would boost the faltering reputation of MB. pop-up trackers were secured onto the base of her dorsal, and she was released back into the ocean from the outer bay. They claimed to have tracked her for 30 days (which they swear was all the intended to track her for), but the truth is, while yes the pop-ups are designed to be specifically encoded with a release date, hardly EVER is it for only 30 days. Usually you see them within the 3-6 month range depending on the circumstances. Furthermore, unless the tag is physically recovered (which it hardly ever is), only limited amounts of data can be transferred via satelite transmitions. The available information from the track would not depict the health, or physical state of the animal, but more like the depth and distance in which it traveled. Her snout was sooooo damaged from not only the wounds but also the infections, that there is no way she would have ever regained full (or possibly even partial) uses of some of her sensories. That said (and the fact that MB was aware of this), how was she supposed to survive in the open? She was in a sense swimming blind, deaf, and dumb!!! Yes it's true that a lot was learned from this experience, but was it the first *uck up?? - - Umm NO, and will it be the last--- well I would hope so, but I doubt it. We have already tried again with other species, and things to remain unmentioned here, but once again, its been under wraps for the sake of waiting until opportunity presents its self. MBA is truly an amazing facility, it really it, but some of the things (like anywhere else) that have taken place here have left a sour taste in not only my mouth, but the mouths of many others. There is obviously a lot more detail, but some of that I am not at liberty to openly discuss. I told you what I could - and probably some of what I shouldnt have, but my intension was to clarify the issue which was brought up. I have to leave for oregon in about 30 minutes to assist in a transport, and I won't be back until Tuesday, so until then, I hope this provides some insight to the matter. Thanks.
--Emi
Well I guess they thought they would be ok since she was much smaller than the outher sharks.
