The Calgary Zoo will drain the tank of its stingray exhibit more than a year after 41 cownose stingrays died due to human error.
The exhibit temporarily closed last year while police and zoo officials investigated the cause of the rays' deaths, but reopened in December.
The zoo is scrambling to find new homes for the exhibit's 12 rays in the coming weeks. But then it will close the facility that drew more than 680,000 visitors after it opened in February, 2008 - many attracted by the touch tank - only to lead to tragedy and bad press.
"The intent from the beginning was to make it a temporary exhibit," said Cathy Gaviller, director of conservation at the zoo. "We had the idea to add more specimens, but in order to do that we would need to make a fairly significant investment."
But even after all of last year's ray deaths - 41 due to "lack of dissolved oxygen" and another two that died while being transported in a damaged shipping container - officials haven't deep-sixed the idea of bringing the sea creatures back.
"Will rays be back? They've been very popular with the visitors, with the staff… it's always a possibility," Ms. Gaviller said.
But Rob Laidlaw, executive director of conservation group Zoocheck Canada, could barely wrap his head around that idea. "I think it's been a public-relations disaster for the zoo and unfortunately took a few events for them to realize it wasn't the best decision for their zoo," he said.
He said rays require hundreds of kilometres of deep water where they can congregate in the thousands, a stark contrast to the zoo's shallow 10,000-gallon tank.
Mr. Laidlaw's group is also worried about the zoo's plans to use the freed-up space for temporary and travelling exhibits of wildlife, which he said put unnecessary stress on animals' health.
"We certainly wouldn't be in support of the idea of transient animals going in and out of the facility," he said. "Whether you're dealing with small mammals or coyotes or wolves, they all have their unique circumstances."