Texas Police Find Shark Stolen in Baby Stroller

 

This is What’s Trending Today…

A small shark that was stolen from an aquarium¹ in Texas has been found and safely returned.

Miss Helen is a 40-centimeter-long gray horn shark. She spends her time in a touch tank at the San Antonio Aquarium, where visitors are permitted to touch sea creatures.

On Saturday afternoon, a group of thieves took Helen out of the tank. Then, they put the animal in a wheeled baby carrier and walked out of the aquarium before anyone noticed Miss Helen was missing.

The “great shark heist,” as people are calling it, was captured on surveillance video. The aquarium put the video on its Facebook page.

The video shows one man taking the shark out of the tank and carrying it away, off camera. A second man follows him. He appears to be holding a blanket.

The two men then reappear on the video. The second man is seen putting the shark -- now wrapped in a blanket -- into the baby stroller. He is then joined by the first man and by a woman carrying a young child. The group exits together.

Aquarium workers quickly noticed that Miss Helen was missing, and called the police.

On Monday night, police found Miss Helen in a home filled with fish tanks and other ocean wildlife. She has been safely returned to the aquarium and appears to be in good health.

“Sharknapping: Unsuccessful!” the aquarium posted on Facebook after Miss Helen’s return.

Experts at the aquarium will be closely examining Miss Helen’s health and behavior over the next few days before returning her to the tank.

Local police chief Joseph Salvaggio said two men have admitted to taking the shark. Investigators² also plan to talk with the woman seen in the video. Salvaggio told the San Antonio television station KSAT that one of the men was very knowledgeable³ about marine⁴ life. He likely went to the aquarium especially to take Miss Helen. The man told police he had had a horn shark of his own, but the animal died.

Texas law enforcement officials are speaking with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric⁵ Administration to see whether any federal charges can be filed, Salvaggio said.

And that’s What’s Trending Today.

I’m Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

aquarium - n. a building people can visit to see water animals and plants

heist - n. ?an act of stealing something from a bank or store?

surveillance - n. the act of carefully watching someone or something especially in order to prevent or detect a crime

stroller - n. ?a small carriage with four wheels that a baby or small child can ride in while someone pushes it?

blanket - n. ?a covering made of cloth that is used especially on a bed to keep you warm?

marine - adj. ?of or relating to the sea or the plants and animals that live in the sea

1 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

2 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。

4 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。