WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — 'Horrified' was one word the Humane Society of the United States used to describe the news about the shark bite at Blue Zoo, which led to the shark being euthanized.
Now, the Humane Society is calling on the city and local law enforcement to take action and investigate.
In a statement made by the Iowa state Director for the Humane Society, it said "We were horrified, but not surprised, about this tragic event at Blue Zoo. This pathetic roadside zoo pads its bottom line by pushing cruel interactions with stressed wild animals who are treated like disposable toys. Businesses like these are disastrous for animals and for people."
Blue Zoo is known for its interactive aquarium. Visitors at Blue Zoo can touch and feed stingrays, birds and reptiles and see sharks.
The Humane Society says it is not surprised to hear about the shark bite at this location.
"It's unfortunately just part of a larger pattern of not great conditions," Preston Moore said, Iowa State Director for the U.S. Humane Society.
On Monday, Blue Zoo said an employee was transporting one of its sharks when it started showing signs of distress. Once the shark regained its strength, it became startled and bit the employee's hand.
First responders arrived within a minute and the employee was taken to the hospital for treatment.
"Certainly not something we see every day," said Mark McCulloch, deputy chief of West Des Moines EMS.
Moore said this incident should be the impossible, but instead, Iowa now has a shark bite statistic.
"It's just irresponsible to put it mildly," Moore said.
This incident is bringing new concerns to light about the way the self-proclaimed aquarium is run.
"In this facility, brought to me two different former employees who have very real concerns about ongoing animal care issues as well as the sourcing of the animals heading into this facility," Moore said.
A petition has been started demanding the closure of Blue Zoo, and multiple former employees have expressed concerns on social media. Local 5 reached out to both the petitioner and former employees but did not hear a response.
Local 5 also reached out to Blue Zoo and is waiting to hear back.
