Specialists release or relocate EcoWorld aquarium animals

Apart from one salmon that was in “extremely poor health,” all of EcoWorld Aquarium’s animals have been released or rehomed — even a stingray.

Port Marlborough took possession of the building and the animals in Decemberafter judge David Gendall gave aquarium owner John Reuhman 20 working days to clear the country. It came after a week Supreme Court in Septemberafter Reuhman claimed he had the right to extend his lease.

One of the specialist staff who helped move the remaining animals was aquarium consultant Craig Thorburn – tasked specifically with helping to move the stingray.

A marine biologist by trade, Thorburn spent a “large portion” of Thorburn’s 35-year career dealing with large animals, such as sharks and rays, throughout Asia and the Pacific.

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“Some of those have been flown around the world, or moved between aquariums. We’ve done a lot of work in Australia between Sydney and Melbourne, moving large animals,” he said.

Speaking from Seoul in South Korea, where Thorburn was working on a major aquarium project, he said moving the EcoWorld stingray was fairly easy.

It was even released just next to the aquarium, in Picton harbor.

“Initially we wanted to give them advice on how best to handle the stingray, because they clearly have a barb on their tail and can be dangerous,” he said.

“They’re really good-natured animals … but it’s quite a new experience for any animal when you move it and introduce it to a new environment.”

Thorburn said the stingray had been assessed by Dr James Chatterton, manager of veterinary services at Auckland Zoo.

“I had a talk with James about his take on the animal, and he thought the stingray was in really good shape, and he was quite happy with its release,” Thorburn said.

He said the stingray was placed in a plastic container with a small amount of anesthetic supplied by Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium to reduce stress.

“We moved him onto a stretcher and carried him to a temporary tank outside so we could take a break and let him come out of anesthesia,” he said.

He said they made sure he was breathing and alert before the tank was “lifted into the water”.

“He just swam right out, did a few little circles and then just started exploring…it went amazingly well, we were super happy.”

Reuhman had said closing the aquarium when its lease expires in 2021 would be one “death sentence” for many of the animals. Reuhman said some animals would have to be euthanized because they wouldn’t survive in the wild.

But Judge Gendall’s Supreme Court ruling said Reuhman’s claims of slaughter were “unfortunate to say the least.” The port sued Reuhman intentionally made inflammatory and misleading remarks to the wider Picton community and the media.

A Port Marlborough spokesman said that following the Supreme Court ruling, former aquarium staff were appointed to help care for the remaining fish and tuataras, in line with advice from MPI, DOC and the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA). That included changing habitats for the tuatara and checking the suitability of the marine species for release.

Meanwhile, DOC managed the welfare and removal of freshwater species and tuatara.

Three Cook Strait tuatara and a tuatara from Brothers Island were moved to Lochmara Lodge in February prior to their final release in the Marlborough Sounds at a later date. Another Brothers Island tuatara held at EcoWorld died in November, later found to be in “poor body condition” largely due to scar tissue in both kidneys.

The Port Marlborough spokesperson said that after advice and checks, the marine fish were placed in oxygenated tanks and then released into the Marlborough Sounds.

“We were pleased to see that they all swam away very enthusiastically, and the experts’ advice was that they all have a good chance of surviving in the wild and spending their days in their natural environment.”

The spokesman said rehoming the stingray was the biggest challenge.

“Expert advice we received indicated that due to the high population of stingrays already present in this area and around Picton Marina, the stingray had a good chance of surviving and possibly even continuing to breed.”

The spokesperson said that while it was “disappointing” that some of the animals survived when they took over, they were pleased to be able to work with the right experts to find “good results”.

They thanked the “young staff” who were cleaning up the building and caring for the animals when they took over in December.

A curator was also present at the transfer, according to the spokesperson.

The spokesman said that as the purpose-built aquarium was in a “state of disrepair”, it was too expensive to repair or repurpose, and would be removed in the coming weeks.

The empty site would be used in the short to medium term during the day the redevelopment of the ferry terminal. Meanwhile, Port Marlborough would consult with the community and its shareholder on how best to use the site in the long term.