John Rupp retires
Jul 19th
Aquatic animal curator makes waves in Tacoma’s underwater world
After nearly three decades, overseer of marine animals at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium retires
Tacoma’s “modern-day Jacques Cousteau” starts and ends every day with a ferry trip across Commencement Bay. The time between those ferry rides is currently spent managing a vast underwater world, and after 28 years, he will retire from his role as aquatic animal curator of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium this June.
Comparing curator John Rupp to Cousteau, PDZA director Gary Geddes said Rupp’s contributions to Tacoma’s marine community are remarkable.
“He is a world‐class biologist and a visionary in aquarium design,” Geddes said. “His work on the zoo’s tropical South Pacific Aquarium illuminated both his extensive shark expertise and his keen imagination for dramatic and effective exhibitry.”
Rupp led the team that brought the South Pacific Aquarium and its unparalleled shark collection to Tacoma when it opened in 1989. For years afterward, the exhibit was a benchmark for aquarium design and Rupp served as a consultant on several subsequent projects around the world.
Speaking of his work on the exhibit, Rupp said, “That contribution to this community is what makes me most proud.”
A lifetime on the water
When asked about his initial interest in marine life, Rupp described himself as a water boy with an intense love of animals.
“I could swim underwater at the same time I could walk,” he said. “My parents gave me a pair of goggles when I was 4 years old, and it opened up the world for me.”
After learning to surf and SCUBA dive at age 14, Rupp said he was naturally nervous around sharks, but quickly became more curious than scared.
That curiosity led to a decades‐long career studying and caring for shark species around the world. Rupp’s shark‐focused career took him everywhere from the coastline of New Zealand to the shores of Commencement Bay.
“Tracking the sixgill sharks of Puget Sound is one of my favorite responsibilities,” Rupp said. “I plan to continue to work in this capacity as a volunteer during retirement.”
Not only will Rupp join Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s volunteer dive program, but he says his future plans won’t take him too far from his professional world.
“I don’t see myself retiring in the conventional way we sometimes imagine,” he said. “I plan to stay very involved in Tacoma’s tight‐knit underwater world.”
Zoo deputy director John Houck has worked with Rupp for more than 25 years and said the ripples Rupp’s career will leave on the zoo and aquarium will be felt for decades.
“I have a tremendous respect and admiration for John,” Houck said. “He helped bring Point Defiance to a high point in the aquarium world with his scientific expertise, compassionate animal husbandry and inspiring leadership as a manager.”
Houck said the zoo will look to Rupp for consultation and guidance for years to come.
“We’re not letting him get away that easy,” he said. “He will continue to be one of our go‐to experts in the world of water.”
For more information on Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, visit www.pdza.org or call 253‐591‐5337.
Shark Week at Birch Aquarium
Jul 12th
The Shark Week program begins Saturday July 17 and continues, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, through July 23. The program will include hourly presentations on sharks along with live shark encounters. Children can touch docile horn and swell shark pups in touch tanks. Daily shark scavenger hunts will have shark tooth prizes. Children can watch videos of sharks in the wild, have their picture taken with a great white shark in a photo booth and go on shark scavenger hunts. Shark-themed dive shows take place in Birch’s two-story kelp forest tank at 2 p.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. July 18 and 12:30 p.m. July 20 and 22.
Shark Week at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla. Courtesy photo
Among the topics Scripps researchers will tackle are why sharks are vulnerable and need to be protected, how sharks use their teeth the way humans use utensils, and new conservation efforts to sustain declining shark populations.
Texas State Aquarium 20th birthday
Jul 9th
The Texas State Aquarium is celebrating it’s 20th birthday, it’s open daily from 9:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m on Shoreline Blvd. near Corpus Christi Beach.
Fintastic exhibit at Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium
Jul 9th
Fintastic exhibit at Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium is designed with the visually impaired in mind. Each exhibit has an audio narrative actuated by touching the exhibit as opposed to pushing a button or flipping a switch. The audio plays from the dome directly overhead.
Paul the Psychic Octopus backs Spain to beat Holland in final
Jul 9th
Paul has been in amazing form during the tournament, correctly predicting all of Germany’s six results, including their shock defeat to Serbia.
Originally from Weymouth, Paul moved from the fascinating underwater world of SEA LIFE Oberhausen in 2006.
1,000-pound manta ray returned to Atlantic Ocean
May 10th
NASSAU, Bahamas
A 1,000-pound manta ray was returned to the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after three years as a research subject and tourist attraction at a Bahamian resort.
“Relocating this 1,000-pound manta ray from its 2.7 million-gallon aquarium took more than two hours Thursday. ”
The massive black ray, known as “Zeus” and with a mouth spanning more than 3 feet, was lowered from a helicopter on a hydraulically welded frame to ensure its safe entry into the water.
Marine biologists will now use a satellite tracking tag to monitor its movements in the open sea.
Relocating the ray from its 2.7-million-gallon aquarium took more than two hours.
“Island of the Great White Shark” – New England Aquarium – IMAX
May 5th
Shark’s plight The New England Aquarium launches its run of the IMAX movie “Island of the Great White Shark” with a talk by Richard Theiss, the filmmaker, and Mauricio Hoyos, a Mexican shark biologist. The movie focuses on the Mexican island that serves as one of the last sanctuaries for great white sharks. At 7 p.m. Reservations required at www. neaq.org (click on “attend a lecture”).
London Aquarium sold to London Eye owner
May 4th
The new owners say that they will invest £5 million in developing the London Aquarium, which currently welcomes more than 750,000 visitors a year.
Merlin says that it will “reposition the London Aquarium as a fun learning experience for visitors of all ages” by adding more interactive elements.
Merlin Entertainments has also negotiated a 35 year lease on the aquarium’s riverside premises at County Hall with landlord Shirayama Shokusan. The attraction opened in 1997 in the basement of the former home of the Greater London Council.
“We believe that the sale of the Aquarium is a positive step in the development of an already successful London attraction,” says Audrey Summers, managing director of previours owners County Hall Entertainment.
“County Hall Entertainment will continue to move forward with various new projects that will continue to see London County Hall as a destination of choice in London.”
London Dungeon owners Merlin Entertainments acquired the London Eye just over a year ago in a £1 billion takeover of the Tussauds Group.
Glenn Earlam of Merlin Entertainments describes the London Aquarium as “a wonderful site – big enough to be awe inspiring, but also very accessible for visitors. There is no one better qualified than Merlin to operate marine attractions; and when we add the Sea Life “magic” we believe it will once again quickly become a “must see” attraction for both Londoners, and those visiting the capital.”
Monterey Bay Aquarium Partners with ARAMARK
May 4th
Monterey Bay Aquarium will help ARAMARK develop practices to guide the supply, purchase and consumption of sustainable seafood for as many as 180,000 ARAMARK employees in the U.S. and potentially tens of millions of consumers in businesses, universities, schools, sports and entertainment facilities, parks and other locations ARAMARK operates.
Sustainable seafood comes from sources, either fished or farmed, that can exist over the long term without compromising species’ survival or the surrounding ecosystem.
We’re delighted to partner with ARAMARK and help the company fulfill its commitment to serving seafood that comes from sustainable wild and farmed sources,” said Michael Sutton, Director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Center for the Future of the Oceans, which incorporates the Sustainable Seafood Initiative and Seafood Watch program, www.seafoodwatch.org. “This decision by ARAMARK, and similar commitments by other business leaders, will have a real impact in the marketplace. By creating more demand for seafood from sources that protect the health of ocean ecosystems, we’re on a path toward improving fishing practices around the world.”
Through its Seafood Watch guidelines, the Monterey Bay Aquarium recommends which seafood to buy and which to avoid, helping consumers become stronger advocates for an environmentally friendly seafood supply.
Wildlife World Zoo to open Arizona’s first public aquarium
May 4th
Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park will boast the only public aquarium between San Diego and Albuquerque when it opens later this year.
“Bringing the ocean to the Sonoran Desert is quite a challenge,” said Assistant Zoo Director Mike Demlong, who is overseeing day-to-day construction. “We are about 70 to 80 percent complete.”
The aquarium will consist of three exhibit buildings, each with a different theme, with a total of 33,000 square feet. The $6 million project is expected to open in November or December.
As many as 400 species of animals will eventually be housed in a campus-like setting that features indoor and outdoor exhibits. The entrance and first two aquarium buildings are nearly complete. The final and largest exhibit building, also under way, will house a restaurant and bar featuring a 30-foot diameter shark tank and stingray feeding pool.
At completion, the aquarium will exhibit unusual species such as sea horses, stingrays, penguins, giant Pacific octopus, sharks and arapaima, the largest fresh water fish in the world. The design features fish as well as aquatic mammals, reptiles and birds.
At opening, the aquarium will contain about 135,000 gallons of water spread over 60 indoor exhibits.
Aquarium project manager Jeff Faucett is in charge of designing, building and maintaining life-support systems for hundreds of aquatic animals. A veteran aquarist, Faucett has helped launch aquariums at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas, and the Oklahoma State Aquarium in Tulsa.
“The Wildlife World Aquarium will be unlike any other,” Faucett said. “We’ve taken the best features from aquariums across the U.S. and tried to make them better.”
