Blue Zoo Aquarium Employee Bitten by Bamboo Shark in West Des Moines

A shark bit an aquarium worker in West Des Moines Monday afternoon.

The Blue Zoo Aquarium euthanized the shark so the shark’s teeth could be removed from the employee’s hand, the aquarium said in a statement on Facebook.

According to the statement, the incident began when the 18-inch bamboo shark began showing signs of distress while a member of the Blue Zoo Aquarium’s saltwater breeding team was transporting him. In response, the breeding supervisor immediately began CPR efforts to help the shark. He was then moved to a larger tank for further assistance as the bamboo shark began to recover.

But the shark became startled when it began to regain strength. It latched onto the skin of the farm team member’s hand between her thumb and index finger, according to the Blue Zoo statement. The bamboo shark refused to let go of her hand, despite the team’s many attempts to open its mouth.

“The bamboo shark’s teeth, which looked like small hooks, made it difficult,” the statement said.

The aquarium called emergency services, who were also unable to open the shark’s mouth, forcing the team to euthanize the shark, the statement said.

The Blue Zoo team member was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

It is rare for bamboo sharks to harm humans, and it has never happened before at the aquarium, according to the Blue Zoo statement. In the future, the care team will wear gloves when caring for the sharks, which are relatively small and grow up to 37 inches long.

“Our team would appreciate any prayers, good thoughts and kind words as we go through this heartbreaking time,” Blue Zoo’s statement said.

Blue Zoo opened May 21 at the Villages at Jordan Creek Town Center, 6925 Mills Civic Parkway. The for-profit interactive aquarium geared toward kids features a variety of marine life, saltwater or freshwater tanks and a tide pool. It has a “bird forest” with hundreds of parakeets, a reptile habitat with turtles, lizards and frogs and an “Under Sea Sanctuary” that doubles as a sensory room.

In a shallow pool, near a play area with a pirate ship and a bouncy castle, visitors can feed and pet stingrays and bamboo sharks.

Kate Kealey is a general reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.