©Jenn Rant
March 17, 2020
Jones and the Leopard Sharks
- as seen by -
Payden Sra
A couple times a week at WCS’s New York Aquarium, I train and hand-feed three of our leopard sharks – Bob, Dawn, and Marley – that live in the waters of our penguin exhibit. The sharks are trained to touch a target, swim into a net, and allow for tactiles (gentle contact through touch). I do this training so our staff can perform voluntary veterinary exams whenever needed.
During my sessions, our guests often ask if the penguins are afraid of the sharks. The answer is no! In fact, one of the penguins, named Jones, that I have helped care for since he was a chick comes to every one of my shark feeds. He even has his own mat to sit on and watch the sharks as they come to station for some fish. Jones finds the sessions fascinating and never misses a feed.
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