For twenty years, ZooTampa visitors had a very close perspective on stingrays and could even touch them. Yet, on Thursday morning, the whole of the stingrays living in the touch tank was found dead.

In an explanation to media, zoo authorities said twelve dwelled in a 16,000-gallon saltwater tank called Stingray Bay, where visitors were permitted to contact them.

The dead were found Thursday morning. There were seven cow nose stingrays, four southern stingrays, and one Atlantic stingray.

Stingray Bay was home to just the beams, and all dwelled in a similar tank with no different species. It's indistinct whether ZooTampa has extra stingrays living offsite.

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A creature care group and veterinarians intend to inspect all mechanical hardware engaged with the tank, just as testing the water temperature, quality, oxygen, and pH levels, "all of which demonstrate ideal water quality and conditions," as per a ZooTampa explanation.

A toxicology report will likewise be led.

ZooTampa said it could require half a month to get those outcomes. Stingray Bay will stay shut for, in any event, two months during the examination.

As indicated by the zoo's site, Stingray Bay initially opened in September 2001.

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