City Aquarium's Fishy Fiend. (1 November, 1996)

Pretoria Zoo's newest attraction, a spotted ragged tooth shark, has not wasted any time in letting fellow fish know who's boss. On its first day inside a 68 000 litre tank in the zoo's aquarium, the 2 m shark attacked the other occupants of the tank. Large teeth marks and scars were evident on his fishy friends. The shark was transported to the zoo to co-incide with today's Marine Day celebrations.

The raggie, as such sharks are also referred to, was captured by Mark Addison of African Watersports in Umkomaas on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. 'They're not very bright, so it's quite easy to catch them really,' Mr Addison said. He insists that the sharks are harmless to humans. 'You use a noose and rope to catch them, like you lasso a cow.' The raggie, an adult male, was transferred on Monday to a specially-designed holding tank for the seven-hour trip to Pretoria on the back of a bakkie. Mr Addison said the shark was sedated and the water in its tank saturated with oxygen to ensure a comfortable trip.

Once in his new home, zoo officials said he adapted within half an hour, quickly learning not to bump his head against the sides of the tank. When zoo staff noticed visible scars on other fish in the aquarium, they knew he'd finally settled in.

Raggies are brownish in colour with reddish spots on the sides of their bodies and can grow up to 3,2 m in their natural habtat along the coastline of Africa. They are slow to breed as only two are born at a time. The strongest baby shark in each horn of the uterus eats the other babies and unfertilised eggs. 'Sharks are mystical animals and we trust that we will shed some light on their natural habitat and habits.

'What makes this exhibition unique is the fact that it is situated a few hundred kilometres from the coast and also the fact that the animals are housed in artificially manufactured sea water,' zoo officials said. The public seldom gets the opportunity to view a live shark so closely and zoo officials have recommended that everyone gets a glimpse of this huge predator. The zoo's aquarium and reptile park is open seven days a week from 8 am to 6 pm. The entrance fee is R8 for adults and R6 for children. Staff Reporter. Courtesy of the Pretoria News.