How the Aquarium of the Pacific Scrambled to Save Hundreds of Sea Creatures After 2 Smuggling Busts – WTOP News
The aquarium said the seizures began with a 2,000-animal truckload and are part of a network that places confiscated wildlife at accredited facilities.
- The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach took in nearly 1,000 trafficked marine animals this summer after wildlife officials intercepted two box trucks carrying the smuggled creatures.
- Southern California serves as a primary hub for illegal wildlife imports, with animals often arriving from Indonesia, Fiji, Tonga, Australia, or the Caribbean in poor, stressed conditions.
- Nate Jaros, vice president of animal care, noted the facility handled endangered Banggai cardinalfish and near-threatened brownbanded bamboo sharks amidst severe understaffing. "We could have easily used three more people," he said.
- Roughly one-quarter of the rescued animals died upon arrival, while survivors require extensive medical treatment to manage heavy parasite loads before transfer to accredited facilities.
- Since joining the Wildlife Confiscations Network in 2023, the aquarium has rescued more than 3,300 animals, prompting facility expansion that includes a new roughly 4,000-gallon pool.
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How the Aquarium of the Pacific scrambled to save hundreds of sea creatures after 2 smuggling busts – WTOP News
Clownfish clamber around a watery enclosure, a couple of brownbanded bamboo sharks weave between rocks and lines of coral sit in tanks basking under artificial
Associated Press News
How the Aquarium of the Pacific scrambled to save hundreds of sea creatures after 2 smuggling busts
Clownfish clamber around a watery enclosure, a couple of brownbanded bamboo sharks weave between rocks and lines of coral sit in tanks basking under artificial grow lights — all creatures seized from illegal wildlife trafficking and placed at the Aquarium of the Pacific for care and a home.
How the Aquarium of the Pacific scrambled to save hundreds of sea creatures after 2 massive smuggling busts
Southern California is considered an epicenter of trafficked wildlife. When authorities confiscated trucks full of exotic fish, they needed help fast.
Aquarium takes in nearly 1,000 trafficked marine animals
Clownfish clamber around a watery enclosure, a couple of brownbanded bamboo sharks weave between rocks and lines of coral sit The post How the Aquarium of the Pacific scrambled to save hundreds of sea creatures after 2 smuggling busts appeared first on The Business Journal.
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