Pittsburgh Zoo's Sand Tiger Sharks Moving South

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The sand tiger sharks at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium have a long journey ahead of them, and they'll be traveling by land.

Two males and three females will soon be heading south for a new home and breeding opportunities at Neptune Park in Florida.

"We're going to be capturing all five sharks," says Dwayne Biggs, curator of aquatic life. "We have a huge transport tank on a semi-truck. We'll be putting them in a harness, craning them out of the tank, putting them in there. They have life support systems and they're making the long journey down to Florida."

Sand tiger sharks are listed as a vulnerable species because of their low reproductive rate.

Zoo visitors have been enticed by the sharks over the past eight years. The curator says the graceful predators have thrived in the "Water's Edge" exhibit.

"These animals have been doing very well here, showing us breeding behaviors, because of the natural sunlight and natural temperature cycles we put through the exhibit," said Biggs.

But now it's time for them to join other sand tiger sharks in Florida, for research into reproduction conservation. It's hoped that breeders will see some pups in the near future.

Meanwhile, Biggs says Water's Edge will have a new inhabitant - a rescued northern elephant seal.

"When we remove the sharks from this pool, we're actually going to revitalize a little bit before 'Coolio' goes into the exhibit," he said. "We're going to do a new coating on the pool, and we're going to modify the life support and make sure it's just perfect before 'Coolio' comes to his new home."

The sand shark move is set for Aug. 16.

But for shark lovers, the aquarium is keeping nine different species.

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