The tale of a girl and her... shark?

I love sharks.

I know most people don't, but most people also aren't familiar with Stegostoma fasciatum, known as the zebra shark or the Australian leopard shark. The seemingly contradictory common names describe the shark's markings, the way the stripes of a juvenile fade into the spots of an adult. It's strikingly beautiful, and about as non-threatening in appearance as a fish can get; even people who don't care for what Hollywood passes off as the "typical" shark find themselves interested in this unusual animal.

I fell in love with zebra sharks several years ago while working at a world-famous marine life park here in Orlando, Florida. The shark exhibit featured sandtigers, blacktip and whitetip reefs, nurses, and sandbars -- all sharks that I was familiar with, having grown up in Florida and spent many an hour in aquariums -- but it was the long, lithe zebra shark that held my fascination. I named him "Ted," and I was always thrilled when he rose to the surface and cruised along the side of the habitat, watching the employees and perhaps hoping for a handout. This shark's docile nature and curiosity really endeared him to me, and I was beside myself when one of only three photos taken of me inside the park's shark cage also happened to capture Ted swimming by.





Another encounter with zebra sharks was more recent -- October of 2007 -- and took place at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California. The Aquarium of the Pacific not only allows guests to watch zebra sharks swimming in the Tropical Pacific Gallery and the large pool at Shark Lagoon, but it even allows guests to touch them. I was in heaven; I'd touched sharks many times before, but this was such an unexpected and pleasant surprise. I'm not exaggerating when I say that that was one of the top highlights of our trip to California.









We shot some video of the aquarium's zebra sharks, too; you can view a two-minute clip here.

Now, as my husband and I get our finances in order in preparation for selling our condo and buying a house, I've found myself researching what it would take to care for a zebra shark in my own home. In addition to my two years at the aforementioned marine life park, where I helped care for and train the park's dolphins, seals, sea lions, and manatees, I'm currently employed at one of the largest aquariums in the world; I know from personal experience that caring for sea creatures is an often difficult -- and always expensive -- business, but, with the proper resources and a lot of hard work, I think that I can make my dream a reality within the next five years.

What will it take? Well, in order for a fully-grown zebra shark to be comfortable, it requires a pool anywhere from 35,000-50,000 gallons in size, with efficient filtration to maintain the best in water quality. It's going to cost me tens of thousands of dollars to construct -- imagine building an enormous in-ground swimming pool (which will already set ya back a pretty penny), and then add on the costs of customizing it for a saltwater fish that can grow to lengths exceeding ten feet. That's not counting the price of the shark itself, frequent water changes, or food. This is quite the undertaking, as you can tell!

And that brings me to this blog. I know that I've donated a few dollars to causes that I felt were worthwhile, whether I was contributing to a friend's rent or a stranger's "cool toy" fund, and I'm hoping that others will do the same after reading about my situation. Even a buck or two would be a big help -- with enough people chipping in here and there over the next five years, it'll all add up!