Staff at ZooTampa is investigating the death of 12 stingrays housed at the Stingray Bay exhibit. The stingrays were found dead Thursday morning.
The zoo made the announcement last night, stating the cause of death remains a mystery. “It’s with heavy hearts we share that today ZooTampa lost 12 residents of Stingray Bay,” said the zoo in a statement. “The animal care and veterinary teams are examining all of the mechanical equipment involved and testing the water, all of which indicate optimal water quality and conditions. It may take several weeks for all of the test results to come in. Stingray Bay is a closed system that’s home only to the rays. It remains closed at this time.”
The zoo says the investigation could take up to eight weeks.
The 16,000-gallon saltwater touch tank housed seven cownose stingrays, four Southern stingrays and one Atlantic stingray. No other animal species were kept in the tank.
Stingray Bay first opened to the public in September 2001.
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