WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — A staff member at Blue Zoo Aquarium suffered minor injuries after she was bitten by a bamboo shark Monday.
The bamboo shark began "showing signs of distress" during transport, leading a staff member to begin "resuscitation efforts," Blue Zoo said on Facebook. The shark was moved to a larger tank as it began to recover.
Blue Zoo claims the shark "became startled," causing the shark to latch onto a staff member's hand between her thumb and forefinger.
Members of the aquarium's saltwater husbandry team attempted to remove the shark from the victim's hand, but were unsuccessful.
A staff member called the West Des Moines Fire Department for assistance. However, EMTs were also unable to open the shark's mouth. Ultimately, the shark was euthanized.
The victim was treated at a hospital for nonlife-threatening injuries.
Bamboo sharks are typically 24-37" in length and are native to the Indo-West Pacific. The shark involved in the incident at Blue Zoo was 18" long.
"This was an isolated incident and we have never encountered this before," Blue Zoo said in a statement. "To prevent any future incident, we will be training our husbandry staff to wear gloves when handling these fish."
The West Des Moines Fire Department says although the call was unusual, crews are there to serve wherever they are needed.
"We're trained to provide care in very unusual situations, be it the side of the road or in someone's residence, we see something different on every call," said Mark McCulloch, deputy chief of West Des Moines EMS. "And this is just another call that's different."