Jul 29th, 2008 | LONDON -- British police were searching for a shark stolen from an aquatics shop over the weekend in southern England.
The female Australian marbled cat shark was one of a breeding pair kept in a converted garage in the back of a store owned by Peter Newman in Farnborough, about 20 miles west of London's Heathrow Airport, police said Tuesday.
The shark, two feet long and mottled brown, is rare in Britain, police said.
Newman, 68, said he realized the shark was missing Saturday morning when he found the door to the converted garage ajar and the lights on inside.
"I'm just very angry really," he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Whoever came in there clearly knew what they were after. They probably would have taken the pair, but the male's a bit harder to catch really."
The two sharks have produced seven pups, which are kept in an adjacent tank, Newman said. None of them were taken in the theft.
His wife, June Newman, said the pair might together be worth as much as $20,000 because of their rarity. She said her husband might have left a door unlocked.
She also said she was puzzled by the theft, explaining that it would have been difficult to snatch the shark because the top of the tank was around five feet off the ground.
"It's mind-boggling to me as to how this shark has been taken," she said.
Another report - from Reuters:
By John Joseph
LONDON (Reuters) - A rare shark was being hunted by police on Tuesday after it was stolen from an aquarium.
Imported from Indonesia four years ago, the 2ft long, mottled brown, marble catshark -- Atelomycterus Macleayi -- is the female half of the only active breeding pair of its kind in Britain.
"As a breeding pair the male and female are worth 50,000 pounds," aquarium owner Peter Newman, 68, told Reuters, following the shark's theft over the weekend from his Farnborough aquarium in Hampshire.
"On its own the female might be worth 10,000 pounds," added Newman. "We think whoever stole it might come back and try and take the male or we'll get a ransom demand for the female.
"They obviously came prepared as to take a shark you need a net, a bag full of water and a polystyrene box. I think it must have been someone who had been in the shop before and knew where it was kept."
Since arriving in England, the stolen shark has had an adventurous life, surviving electrocution after a crab bit through a power cable, before giving birth to six baby sharks earlier this year.
"I'm very attached to her," said Newman. "I could look for another female but it's difficult as I'm not sure it would mate with the male.
"I'm interested in shark scientific research as I've been involved in conservation issues in the Philippines and Indonesia where a lot of fisherman use cyanide to kill sharks."
Earlier on Tuesday, Hampshire police issued an appeal for information.
"We believe this may have been a targeted burglary of a shark that is extremely rare in the UK," they said in a statement.
"The victim is desperate for the fish to be returned and we urge anyone with information about the burglary to contact us.
The female Australian marbled cat shark was one of a breeding pair kept in a converted garage in the back of a store owned by Peter Newman in Farnborough, about 20 miles west of London's Heathrow Airport, police said Tuesday.
The shark, two feet long and mottled brown, is rare in Britain, police said.
Newman, 68, said he realized the shark was missing Saturday morning when he found the door to the converted garage ajar and the lights on inside.
"I'm just very angry really," he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Whoever came in there clearly knew what they were after. They probably would have taken the pair, but the male's a bit harder to catch really."
The two sharks have produced seven pups, which are kept in an adjacent tank, Newman said. None of them were taken in the theft.
His wife, June Newman, said the pair might together be worth as much as $20,000 because of their rarity. She said her husband might have left a door unlocked.
She also said she was puzzled by the theft, explaining that it would have been difficult to snatch the shark because the top of the tank was around five feet off the ground.
"It's mind-boggling to me as to how this shark has been taken," she said.
Another report - from Reuters:
By John Joseph
LONDON (Reuters) - A rare shark was being hunted by police on Tuesday after it was stolen from an aquarium.
Imported from Indonesia four years ago, the 2ft long, mottled brown, marble catshark -- Atelomycterus Macleayi -- is the female half of the only active breeding pair of its kind in Britain.
"As a breeding pair the male and female are worth 50,000 pounds," aquarium owner Peter Newman, 68, told Reuters, following the shark's theft over the weekend from his Farnborough aquarium in Hampshire.
"On its own the female might be worth 10,000 pounds," added Newman. "We think whoever stole it might come back and try and take the male or we'll get a ransom demand for the female.
"They obviously came prepared as to take a shark you need a net, a bag full of water and a polystyrene box. I think it must have been someone who had been in the shop before and knew where it was kept."
Since arriving in England, the stolen shark has had an adventurous life, surviving electrocution after a crab bit through a power cable, before giving birth to six baby sharks earlier this year.
"I'm very attached to her," said Newman. "I could look for another female but it's difficult as I'm not sure it would mate with the male.
"I'm interested in shark scientific research as I've been involved in conservation issues in the Philippines and Indonesia where a lot of fisherman use cyanide to kill sharks."
Earlier on Tuesday, Hampshire police issued an appeal for information.
"We believe this may have been a targeted burglary of a shark that is extremely rare in the UK," they said in a statement.
"The victim is desperate for the fish to be returned and we urge anyone with information about the burglary to contact us.
.
