Stingrays At ZooTampa Died From Fatal Gas Bubble Disease: Probe

TAMPA, FLA. — Just more than two weeks after 12 stingrays died suddenly at ZooTampa at Lowry Park, an investigation shows that a supersaturation event caused the stingrays to contract gas bubble disease, zoo officials announced Tuesday.

Zoo officials announced they could conduct a thorough probe into the death of the stingrays, which occurred on May 27 at Stingray Bay. Officials said Tuesday that they enlisted the assistance of independent experts who determined that the supersaturation event took place in the overnight hours, which caused gas embolisms (gas bubble disease) in the rays.

Gas bubble disease is a fatal condition that is similar to the “bends” in human scuba divers that is caused by bubbles in the bloodstream, zoo officials said Tuesday. Zoo officials said they did not immediately know about the event because the oxygen levels had been resolved by the time the water was tested that morning after the water was changed, which is standard practice.

The experts were unable to determine the exact cause of the supersaturation event but said that possible causes include a system malfunction or a crack in a portion of the pipe line which was not readily available, zoo officials said. Zoo officials said that the Life Support System was checked daily and maintained by aquarists and maintenance workers on a schedule that followed industry standards.

Stingray Bay is a closed system at the zoo which was only occupied by stingrays, the zoo previously announced. Officials said immediately after the death of the rays that tests indicated that the water quality is optimal and all the equipment was functioning normally at the time.

In addition to serving visitors, ZooTampa is a research and education institution, with a staff of world-renowned veterinarians, marine biologists and wildlife biologists on staff.

The zoo is home to the Catherine Lowry Straz Veterinary Hospital, which provides medical services for the more than 300 species and is the only veterinary facility inside a zoo that has been accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is also one of the state's top facilities for the rehabilitation of endangered Florida species.

ZooTampa has decided that it will not reopen Stingray Bay, instead it will build an updated habitat, with a new water management system which will include redundancies, safeguards and updated procedures, zoo officials said.