Second Whale Shark at Quake-Hit Aquarium Dies (Update 1)

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:52 JST, January 10, 2024 (updated at 14:00, January 11)

Haku, the last surviving whale shark at an aquarium in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, has died, a result of deteriorating water quality in its tank caused by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, the aquarium announced.

Notojima Aquarium kept two whale sharks — Haku, a 4.9-meter-long female, and Hachibei, a 4.6-meter-long male. With Hachibei already confirmed to have died, the announcement of Haku’s death marks the loss of both of the aquarium’s popular whale sharks.

A pipe leak after the powerful earthquake caused the water in the tank to drop to less than half its normal level, deteriorating the quality of the water.

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