Rosie the Shark facts for kids
Rosie the Shark is a preserved great white shark that you can see at the Crystal World Exhibition Centre in Devon Meadows, Australia. She was first kept in a large glass tank filled with a special liquid called formaldehyde at a place called Wildlife Wonderland in Bass, Victoria. This park closed in 2012 because of issues with animal care and not having the right permits to operate.
Tom Kapitany, who runs the Crystal World Exhibition Centre, took over caring for Rosie in 2019. This happened after people broke into the old, abandoned wildlife park. They damaged Rosie's tank, which caused dangerous fumes to leak out. This made it important to move and protect her.
Rosie's Early Life
This great white shark was caught in a tuna fishing net off the coast of South Australia in 1998. A place called Seal Rocks Sea Life Centre was interested in buying her at first. But then, Wildlife Wonderland decided to buy the shark instead.
As Rosie was being moved to Wildlife Wonderland in Victoria, frozen in a special truck, the Government of South Australia temporarily held her. She needed a special check at the South Australian Museum. After this check, the great white shark was filled with a material called dacron. She was then placed in a custom-built tank filled with formaldehyde to preserve her.
John Matthews, who started Wildlife Wonderland, said that getting Rosie was a huge job. He mentioned it cost about $500,000 and involved working with the Melbourne Museum. He also said, "We had to build a special room, and the roof had to be taken off. The shark was lifted in by a crane and put into a new, sealed tank."
In 2012, Wildlife Wonderland had to close down. This was because they were running without the correct licenses. All their animals were given to the RSPCA Australia and the Department of Sustainability and Environment Victoria.
Why Rosie Needed Help
In November 2018, a video was posted on YouTube by an urban explorer named Luke McPherson. He showed what the old wildlife park looked like inside. He then found the shark tank. After a few months, this video got millions of views. This made many people break into the property to see the shark. Sadly, some people also damaged the tank and drew graffiti on it.
Local police warned people about the dangers of visiting the shark. This was because the damage to the tank caused dangerous formaldehyde fumes to leak out.
Saving Rosie the Shark
Tom Kapitany led the efforts to save and restore Rosie the Shark. This work is happening at the Crystal World Exhibition Centre in Devon Meadows, Victoria. The staff there have removed the formaldehyde from the tank. They are replacing it with a safer liquid called glycerol to preserve the shark.
The restoration process has faced some delays. This is because it costs a lot to fill the tank with glycerol. Tom Kapitany said, "We will need 19,500 litres, which will cost us $60,000 AUD."
A documentary is being made by Flying Fox Productions. It will tell the whole story of Rosie the Shark. This includes her history, how she was damaged, her rescue, and her restoration.
When Tom Kapitany first took over Rosie's care, he asked experts for advice. He said, "There was no easy way to preserve her. Everything had a compromise and a problem." He also got advice from glass experts about the broken glass panels. He decided to keep them because "There are four layers of glass and just one layer is broken, so we’re keeping it because it’s all part of the story."
Rosie the Shark is now on display at the Crystal World Exhibition Centre. The restoration work is still ongoing. Staff are constantly checking her and injecting glycerine into her exposed fins. This will continue until the tank is completely filled with the new preservative.
