08-08-2003, 01:38 AM
[font "Arial"][size 4]Just $10 to feed friends to shark[/size][size 2] [/size][/font]
BLOOMINGTON, Minn., Aug. 7 (UPI) -- An increasingly hungry shark has driven a Minnesota aquarium to offer "feeding friend-sies" to offset costs.
The promotional campaign by Underwater Adventures, which is beneath the Mall of the Americas in Bloomington, came about because of its star attraction -- Jesse, a 250-pound, 9-foot-long tiger shark.
To help with soaring feed costs, the aquarium's Web site, sharky.tv, allows viewers to watch Jesse be fed. For $10 viewers can have a friend, enemy or anyone's name given to a mackerel, which eventually will be part of Jesse's meal.
Then, an "official" e-mail is sent to announce when that mackerel was bitten by the big one.
Underwater Adventures' curator, Craig Atkins, explained: "As Jesse has attained full-grown stature, she's been exhibiting a voracious appetite. Earlier this summer, we watched her finish off an ailing 50-pound black tip shark in a single bite.
"It's what sharks do. Just imagine consuming 20 percent of your own bodyweight in a single bite."
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Copyright 2003 by United Press International.
All rights reserved
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BLOOMINGTON, Minn., Aug. 7 (UPI) -- An increasingly hungry shark has driven a Minnesota aquarium to offer "feeding friend-sies" to offset costs.
The promotional campaign by Underwater Adventures, which is beneath the Mall of the Americas in Bloomington, came about because of its star attraction -- Jesse, a 250-pound, 9-foot-long tiger shark.
To help with soaring feed costs, the aquarium's Web site, sharky.tv, allows viewers to watch Jesse be fed. For $10 viewers can have a friend, enemy or anyone's name given to a mackerel, which eventually will be part of Jesse's meal.
Then, an "official" e-mail is sent to announce when that mackerel was bitten by the big one.
Underwater Adventures' curator, Craig Atkins, explained: "As Jesse has attained full-grown stature, she's been exhibiting a voracious appetite. Earlier this summer, we watched her finish off an ailing 50-pound black tip shark in a single bite.
"It's what sharks do. Just imagine consuming 20 percent of your own bodyweight in a single bite."
--
Copyright 2003 by United Press International.
All rights reserved
[signature]